Two men have been charged with theft after they stole a horn shark from a tide tank at San Antonio Aquarium on Saturday.
The horn shark, known as Miss Helen, was safely returned to the aquarium on Monday after quick-thinking staff and police caught the suspects.
On Saturday, staff from the aquarium were monitoring a group who were hanging around the tide pool.
"Surveillance video shows the suspects staking out the pool for over an hour for their opportunity," the aquarium said in a statement.
A man then brazenly snatched Miss Helen from the tank, wrapped her in a blanket and hid her in a pram. He then attempted a mad dash to the parking lot.
Quick-thinking management chased down the suspect and identified the pram which was dripping water. But the suspect denied staff the opportunity to search his truck.
But with the help of surveillance video, police were able to track down the thief on Monday morning.
"When we first got the call, we thought it was kind of a hoax, being that it was Shark Week last week," Police Chief Joseph Saolvaggio said, referring to the Discovery Channel's week of shark-related programs.
When searching the house they found it filled with sharks and other marine animals.
Assistant husbandry director Jamie Shank identified the horn shark and safely returned her back to San Antonio Aquarium. The owner of the aquarium said it was astonishing Miss Helen survived the event.
"We value the lives of all of our animals and take pride in the care that we can give them, as well as the education that we can provide for the general public about these treasured species," he said in a statement.
"We are astonished but so grateful that she survived this catastrophic event. This guy knew what he was doing, or she wouldn’t have survived."
A horn shark is valued at around AUD $2,700. Two men have been charged with theft over the incident.
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