Jun 24, 2008, 14:01 GMT
Hong Kong - Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday called on experts at the city's Ocean Park theme park to explain how they allowed a valuable 'Olympic' fish to die just days after it was presented to the city by China.
Beijing-appointed Donald Tsang spoke after a rare Chinese sturgeon, one of China's five Olympic mascot symbols, was found dead on Monday, four days after being publicly released into a theme park aquarium.
The death of the fish caused a minor but highly embarrassing diplomatic incident for the former British colony, whose officials are all appointed by China and kow-tow to Beijing.
The fish was one of five sturgeon - one for each Olympic ring - presented to Hong Kong by China last week. Its death will be seen as an inauspicious portent for the August games by some superstitious Chinese people.
Vets at the theme park believe the 1.1-metre sturgeon, the smallest of the five presented by China, was fatally injured when a barracuda sharing the its giant tank bit it on Saturday.
An official from China's National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Association quoted by Hong Kong's government-run radio station Tuesday questioned whether the fish had been 'adequately handled.'
He said the sturgeon would be replaced but called on Ocean Park officials to 'better communicate' with Chinese experts to prevent any further sturgeon fatalities.
Hong Kong chief executive Tsang echoed the official's critical tone Tuesday, telling reporters: 'I am sure that Ocean Park ... will explain the circumstances surrounding the death of this fish.
'Most importantly, they must give us an assurance in future that the five precious fish will be well protected and will be made available for public inspection.'
He added that Hong Kong was 'very grateful to the central government for giving us a replacement fish.'
Ocean Park officials have removed the remaining sturgeon from the Atoll Reef attraction where the three-year-old sturgeon met its sticky end.
However, in contrast to Tsang's contrite tone, the theme park officials insisted the two species should have been able to coexist and said they had consulted Chinese experts before allowing them in the same tank as the barracuda.
Hong Kong, a British colony for 156 years, reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. The city of 6.9 million will host the equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics in August.
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