A great white shark dies just after 3 days it was put in a tank at a Japanese aquarium

The 3.5-metre-long male went on display at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium after being accidentally caught in a net on Tuesday.

It was believed to be the world's only great white in captivity. The cause of the animal's death early on Friday is now under investigation, the aquarium announced.

A spokesman for campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) Asia said it had been “cruel and wrong” to put it in a tank.

He said: “The cause of death is clear: captivity. The shark never had to die like this.”
Keeping a great white in captivity is extremely difficult as it needs to swim constantly to get oxygen and maintain its body temperature.

Aquarium researcher Keiichi Sato said the aquarium abides by Japanese and international laws and believes its efforts contribute to education and science.

"Many visitors had asked us to exhibit the great white shark," he said. The aquarium had announced the rare exhibition of the species earlier this week.

The captured shark, a male, was relatively small, and had appeared to be doing well, swimming with several other sharks, but suddenly weakened and sank to the bottom of the tank.

Efforts to give it oxygen in a separate special tank failed. It had refused to eat any food since being caught.