After much anticipation, Charlotte the Stingray is not pregnant

Transcript

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Now for an unfortunate update on a story that we've been following for months.

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SYLVIA JONES: We are here to see Charlotte the stingray for my niece's birthday. We saw her on TikTok, and I just hope to see Charlotte happy and healthy.

SHAPIRO: Visitors like Sylvia Jones and her family have been driving from all over the place to visit Hendersonville, N.C., to see Charlotte the stingray. She was thought to be a Virgin Mary of sorts - pregnant without a mate.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Yes, she has drawn more visitors to the aquarium and captured audiences all over the world since the announcement in February. And I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it turns out Charlotte is not pregnant after all.

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BRENDA RAMER: She's not pregnant now. Or if it's in there, it's not live.

SHAPIRO: That's Brenda Ramer of the Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO talking to local TV station WLOS.

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RAMER: We saw eggs on the ultrasound. We saw movement on the ultrasound. And then the veterinarians that we consulted - as this progressed, we saw cysts or what might appear to be cysts.

SHAPIRO: Veterinarians have found that Charlotte has a rare reproductive disease that could be harming her health. The aquarium is now working to find treatment options for Charlotte, and they say they hope her case will contribute to science and to other rays in the future.

KELLY: Well, in the meantime, visitors can feed small sharks and rays on a regular basis at the aquarium, and they can catch big tortoises munching on lunch outside.

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