(From ap.google.com) – Chicago (AP) — An apparent malfunction in the heating and cooling system of a pool killed 16 stingrays at a suburban Chicago zoo, officials said.
The 16,000-gallon pool where the rays were kept has a heating and cooling system that keeps the water temperature around 79 degrees since stingrays are highly sensitive to water temperatures, said zoo spokeswoman Sondra Katzen.
The temperature in the pool somehow rose to around 89 degrees by Monday, she said.
“It’s pretty devastating,” Katzen said. “It’s a pretty tragic accident.”
Necropsies have been performed, but zoo officials did not immediately have the results.
The other fish in the exhibit appear to be unharmed and zoo employees were monitoring the other animals closely, Katzen said.