News

Charlotte the celebrity stingray no longer pregnant

The pregnant stingray Charlotte in February swims in her tank at the Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team Ecco.

By Amy McCraw, Published: June 5, 2024

Hendersonville’s celebrity stingray, Charlotte, is no longer pregnant, according to a statement on Wednesday from the Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO.

“Medical experts have confirmed that Charlotte is no longer pregnant due to her reproductive disease,” according to a post on the Hendersonville aquarium’s Facebook page. “The medical team performed their biweekly in person assessment last night at the aquarium and reported that Charlotte is stable and continues to show no decrease in appetite or activity. Charlotte continues to be in her normal routine and content.”
The aquarium will remain closed while it consults with medical experts about Charlotte’s health and safety, aquarium founder Brenda “B.J.” Ramer said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Ramer declined to say when she learned that Charlotte was no longer pregnant.
“Everything that is going on out there is crazy,” she said. “We are trying to absorb the news.”
Ramer said she was thankful for the encouragement the aquarium received after learning the sad news about Charlotte’s pregnancy.
“It’s been extremely hard,” she said. “She is not just an exhibit to us. She’s family.”
From the time the aquarium on Main Street announced in February that Charlotte became pregnant without the benefit of a male stingray, likely through a process called parthenogenesis, marine scientists, schoolchildren and fans around the world have been anxiously waiting for Charlotte to give birth.
She’s been the focus of numerous articles and television news broadcasts and even late-night television comedy sketches.
Scientists from across the country and around the world also wanted to see Charlotte’s pups for themselves to learn more about how she became pregnant.
But last week the aquarium released a statement on its Facebook page announcing that Charlotte was suffering from a rare reproductive disease. The aquarium closed on June 1 to care for Charlotte and consult with her medical team.
Ramer on Wednesday said she did not know when the aquarium might reopen.