July 2024, a staff member at the Blue Zoo Interactive Aquarium in West Des Moines was bit on the hand by a 18 inch bamboo shark.
The shark was euthanized after it clamped its jaws down on the employees hand and refused to let go.
Republican Representative Ray Sorensen sponsored the bill.The bill would make it a crime to let people pet sharks.
A Humane Society Lobbyist says the zoo still allows people to pet that same kind of shark.
Republican Representative John Wills declined to advance the bill in the Iowa Legislature. Representative Wills states he doesn’t like legislation that just affects one business in the state.
