Sharky

To swim free anywhere in the world there are sharks.

In 2004, the Monterey Bay Aquarium had a very unusual visitor - a great white shark, which are notoriously hard to keep in captivity. In fact, it had never been done before for any significant length of time. But this great white, a female, thrived at the aquarium for six months, until she finally grew too big, and began hunting the other fish in the 1.2 million gallon Outer Bay tank. At that point, it was decided that she would be released back into the wild, which happened in April, 2005.

Raptor and I are regulars at the aquarium - it's one of our favourite places. And the great white was one of our favourite animals to visit. He and I were both sad when she was released - sad that we wouldn't be able to see her anymore. But it's a happy thing, too - for her to have been kept successfully until it was time to set her free again.

So, in honor of this fabulous shark and the aquarium that cared for her, we decided to start a travel bug - a little great white shark of our own. Sharky visited the aquarium (alas, after the real shark had departed), and we released her in a cache nearby, so she can "swim free" just like her larger friend. Sharky just wants to swim around, visiting people and places - especially places where there might be sharks. She'll be happy for adventures of any sort, though, and Raptor and I would love to see pictures of her, wherever she may wander.