Belle Isle Aquarium Vandalized - dozens of fish dead

**cmubryan** · June-02-12, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

My God! People are nuts. Now we have fishes sleeping with the fishes due to some idiots.

What would motivate an inside job? Was there a sign of a break-in? Could it be the rec department mad that funding is coming from volunteers, non-profits, and contributions?

No need to get upset. THERE WAS NO VANDALISM! It was reported incorrectly and the vast majority of the fish are okay.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/18...ter-re-opening

**jtf1972** · June-02-12, 09:33 PM

That's a relief! It was quite upsetting to think what damage, beyond the immediate that some idiot might have done [[and knowing how people are it wasn't that far out of the realm of possibilities.)

When I saw the video one thing I thought was "why and how would bleach have made the water white?"

There's nothing to see here. Please go home!

**Johnnny5** · June-02-12, 09:43 PM

Edited. Looks like they updated the link already..

**Crystal** · June-02-12, 10:21 PM

Whew, the rush to judgment was a real eye-opener!

Some Facebook comments included the words "monster" and "evil". When I suggested that those words were not helpful, especially since we didn't yet know exactly what happened, the poster defended their use of such inflammatory language.

Common sense said it was too early to know bleach was the reason for the deaths, anyway.

**Gistok** · June-02-12, 10:31 PM

ROFLMAO... this reminds me of the shrill Fox News story of 2 years ago when some middling midlevel bureaucrat from one of the provinces of India mentioned that it might cost up to $200 million to stage a visit for President Obama...

... and then the bottom feeders [[pun intended) at Fox News went apoplectic with rage saying that Obama was going to soak the taxpayers with a $2 billion trip to Asia, including 34 warships and a paid for entourage of thousands...

All because the wrong person talked to some media folks...

The rush to get news to the media [[either thru questionable news sources or thru Facebook) is starting to border on hysterics... either on the international or local island level...

**Thruster315** · June-02-12, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

ROFLMAO... this reminds me of the shrill Fox News story of 2 years ago when some middling midlevel bureaucrat from one of the provinces of India mentioned that it might cost up to $200 million to stage a visit for President Obama...

... and then the bottom feeders [[pun intended) at Fox News went apoplectic with rage saying that Obama was going to soak the taxpayers with a $2 billion trip to Asia, including 34 warships and a paid for entourage of thousands...

All because the wrong person talked to some media folks...

The rush to get news to the media [[either thru questionable news sources or thru Facebook) is starting to border on hysterics... either on the international or local island level...

It's the TMZing of real news. First one on the scene isn't always the most accurate. Gone are the days of journalistic integrity and say hello to the first blast. Fact checking be damned.

**LEOQUEEN** · June-02-12, 10:36 PM

I have to admit that my violent response was an immediate response to the supposed heinous actions of cowardly fiends, but also because I'm SICK AND TIRED of all the weirdness against the innocent and vulnerable. And what would be more vulnerable than the marine creatures who depend on their human caretakers.

**softailrider** · June-02-12, 10:41 PM

WDIV [[channel 4) just mentioned that dozens of fish died. They didn't say 6, they said dozens.

I really hope it was an accident. If it was intentional, it's just too depressing to think about.

**JBMcB** · June-02-12, 11:04 PM

So who screwed up - the reporter or the employee from the aquarium? My money is on the reporter, I've seen firsthand how flexible they are with wording things to make the story more interesting.

**Gistok** · June-02-12, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

It's the TMZing of real news. First one on the scene isn't always the most accurate. Gone are the days of journalistic integrity and say hello to the first blast. Fact checking be damned.

TMZing.... great analogy!!

**dmike76** · June-02-12, 11:22 PM

Amendment. It was around 60 fish. Most of them were tiny. I got so excited when I heard it wasn't vandalism that I didn't keep reading about the rest of the fish.

**hudkina** · June-03-12, 12:50 AM

I love it when the pessimists are wrong.

**wolverine** · June-03-12, 03:15 AM

Wow. Way for everyone to over-react. Sensational story first, facts later.

**Zacha341** · June-03-12, 06:06 AM

I can think of other life just as vulnerable, dependent on their human caretaker, but that would take things into another direction...

However, per this incident I hear you that about being frustrated. Everyday it seems someones person or personal property is violated. And the news is careless in reporting far too often.

Originally Posted by LEOQUEEN

I have to admit that my violent response was an immediate response to the supposed heinous actions of cowardly fiends, but also because I'm SICK AND TIRED of all the weirdness against the innocent and vulnerable. And what would be more vulnerable than the marine creatures who depend on their human caretakers.

**Zacha341** · June-03-12, 06:12 AM

Yes, things were going into the deep weeds relative to responses. Careless news reporting did not help.

Originally Posted by Locke09

No one has a clue who did this, or where they hailed from, or whether they were boys, girls, men or women. There are lots of visitors on the island this weekend.

Unfortunately, my dismay at people advocating killing a human being over tilapia and catfish [[which many of us eat by the way) has now overshadowed my initial dismay over who would commit such a depraved act.

And its not an all time low. Peruse the news for the past few weeks and tell me this even comes close to cannibalism, infanticide, killing family with a baseball bat, and any of a number of atrocities committed by man against man.

I wish human beings could learn to control both their violent depraved behavior and their violent and depraved responses to violent and depraved behavior.

**Zacha341** · June-03-12, 06:24 AM

Yep, here's the freep.com story:

http://www.freep.com/article/2012060...m-Detroit-fish

Originally Posted by cmubryan

No need to get upset. THERE WAS NO VANDALISM! It was reported incorrectly and the vast majority of the fish are okay.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/18...ter-re-opening

**Lowell** · June-03-12, 08:04 AM

UPDATE: Earlier media reports apparently have been greatly exaggerated - thankfully! The Aquarium was not vandalized and only one tank was affected. Unfortunately there were losses, but nothing like earlier wild stories portrayed.

"Fish-killing vandalism at the Belle Isle Aquarium?

Bleach poured into fish tanks, and scores of valuable sea life dead? And this, just two days after a triumphal fundraiser to restore the shuttered, financially strapped city aquarium?

Such was the content of news stories earlier today — on television, radio and media Web sites — and all untrue, according to a top aquarium volunteer, whose denials were seconded by the city Parks and Recreation official who oversees Belle Isle Park and by a spokeswoman for the Detroit Police Department.

“There was no forced entry, no broken window, and we don’t believe there was a crime,” said Jennifer Boardman of Lathrup Village, secretary of the former Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium, which merged in January with other groups to become the Belle Isle Conservancy.

“We did lose some fish, from one tank. We believe there was a tank die-off, which anyone who keeps fish knows can happen occasionally,” if temperature or the water composition changes unexpectedly, or if a fungus or bacteria get into a tank, Boardman said."

Detroit Free Press full article

**rjk** · June-03-12, 08:15 AM

It's not like the news media happened to be walking by the aquarium looking for a story. Someone from the aquarium group had a press release giving them information. For a group that is looking to raise money for the aquarium they didn't show the best organizational skills.

**Kathleen** · June-03-12, 08:36 AM

Glad to hear that it was not vandalism...just an act of God.

**Crystal** · June-03-12, 09:21 AM

De we know for certain that the fish died of natural causes? To lose six large fish is still quite a few fish. I'm sure the folks at the aquarium are testing the water to try to find out what happened.

**diggindetroit** · June-03-12, 10:05 AM

wasn't it 25 years ago that someone dumped bleach in the tanks for real?

**Meddle** · June-03-12, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

It's the TMZing of real news.

FOXing.

...

**smogboy** · June-03-12, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by LEOQUEEN

I have to admit that my violent response was an immediate response to the supposed heinous actions of cowardly fiends, but also because I'm SICK AND TIRED of all the weirdness against the innocent and vulnerable. And what would be more vulnerable than the marine creatures who depend on their human caretakers.

No need to apologize on this one. Like I said earlier, I think when we all heard of this news it struck all of us on multiple levels. It was an affront on the city we all love, it was also the death of innocent animals, and it was also against the hope of the Aquarium coming back.

It stirred so many feelings in all of us who heard about the tragedy.

**Locke09** · June-03-12, 02:12 PM

This would make a great Psychology thesis: Why was not only the general public, but the volunteer who reported this as well, so quick to assume vandalism?

Poor Michigan suffers from that ancient "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" [[aka Detroit) syndrome.

**Baselinepunk** · June-04-12, 08:23 PM

"This would make a great Psychology thesis: Why was not only the general public, but the volunteer who reported this as well, so quick to assume vandalism?"

No need. There are more than a few examples compliments of the work of Rod Serling.