The East Idaho Aquarium is celebrating its second Shark Week on July 27 through Aug. 1. The public will not want to miss activities like shark feedings, photo opportunities, shark school, coloring contests and all kinds of shark-themed fun.
Arron Faires is the executive director of East Idaho Aquarium. He always had a love for animals, especially fish. He was attending BYU-Idaho when he dreamed of starting an aquarium in Idaho Falls.
That dream became a reality in 2013. Since its founding, the East Idaho Aquarium has only grown, with so many creatures to explore including sharks, birds, iguanas, fish, stingrays, caiman and more.
“I definitely think sharks are probably one of the coolest [fish],” Faires said. “It's hard for me to decide- that's one of the reasons I built an aquarium.”
What is Shark Week? Shark Week is an annual tradition for the Discovery Channel program; it teaches everything about sharks. For residents of Eastern Idaho, one might have a natural curiosity for sharks — it is a desert after all! East Idaho Aquarium helps guests learn about sharks and all kinds of sea creatures.
The East Idaho Aquarium Shark Week will feature all kinds of activities for families and friends. One special event is live shark feeding presentations at 4 p.m. all week.
The public will not want to miss this and see how real sharks eat.
“It's usually not what [aquarium guests] expect,” Faires said.
Shark School will be held on Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will include a guided tour, crafts and learning all about sharks for children. Tickets are still available for Thursday’s Shark School.
“One of the lucky students will get to help feed the sharks for that day, so that's always something fun to look forward to,” Faires said. “And they all get to go up and actually stick their feet in the water of the shark tank so they can get a different view than normal guests get.”
Faires said some of the misconceptions people have with sharks are they are mean and mean eaters.
“I think like any predator, we've got bears here in Idaho, but because we can see them, we can give them space and we can respect that space,” Faires said. “And sharks, I mean, because you can't see them, you don't know, is there a shark that is feeding? If you were to see that, you know, you could give it its space.”
One of East Idaho Aquarium’s sharks is a nurse shark, which Faires said they handfeed. To learn more about sharks, attend Shark Week and look at the aquarium’s website to learn how the aquarium brings sharks to its exhibits. The aquarium only brings in captive bred sharks.
On the last day of Shark Week, Aug. 1, dress like a shark for 20% off an aquarium day pass.
The East Idaho Aquarium is in the process of raising money for a new location. A few months ago, the aquarium published the architectural plans on their social media.
“The next step along that process is for us to find a piece of land to put that on,” Faires said. “And so, when we find a piece of land and purchase it, we'll make another announcement or posting on social media about our, the new location of it.”
To learn more, go to eastidahoaquarium.com.
The East Idaho Aquarium is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. it is located on 570 E. Anderson St. in Idaho Falls.