Charlotte the stingray dead less than month after announcement of reproductive disease
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Charlotte, the Hendersonville, N.C., stingray that gained international fame earlier this year, has died, according to her care team.
Team ECCO Aquarium announced exactly at 10 p.m. on its Facebook page Sunday, June 30, that its beloved ray had passed away earlier in the day.
In late May, the aquarium announced Charlotte was no longer pregnant and that, instead, she had developed a reproductive disease.
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"We are sad to announce, after continuing treatment with her medical care team and specialist, our ray, Charlotte, passed away today," the statement said on Sunday, in part. "We are continuing to work with her medical care team and research specialist. The Team ECCO family appreciates your continued love and support while we navigate this great loss."
In February of this year, Team ECCO made the exciting announcement that its stingray, Charlotte, was pregnant despite having no males in the tank with her. Ultimately, it was decided the most likely hypothesis was parthenogenesis, which occurs when eggs develop on their own without fertilization and create a clone of the mother.
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However, after several months of both her care team and the world expecting Charlotte to give birth with no sign of that happening, many marine experts and biologists spoke publicly about their concern that something was wrong with the stingray.
On May 30, Team ECCO said Charlotte, indeed, had something wrong with her, as it was discovered through labs and testing that she had developed a reproductive disease.
MARINE EXPERTS SKEPTICAL OF CHARLOTTE'S STORY, CONCERNED FOR STINGRAY'S HEALTH
To close Sunday's somber announcement, the aquarium, which has been shuttered since announcing in late May that Charlotte was no longer pregnant, said it would remain temporarily closed.