Popular Berlin Aquarium Explodes, and PETA's Response Reminds Us How Ridiculous They Are

On Friday, the Associated Press reported on one of those “weird news” type of stories that happen along sometimes. This time, it was about an aquarium – a popular tourist attraction in Berlin, Germany – well, accidentally exploding:

BERLIN (AP) — A huge aquarium in Berlin burst, spilling debris, water and hundreds of tropical fish out of the AquaDom tourist attraction in the heart of the German capital early Friday.

Police said parts of the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate store, were damaged as 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of water poured from the aquarium shortly before 6 a.m. (0500 GMT).

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The company that owns the AquaDom, Union Investment Real Estate, said in a statement Friday afternoon that the reasons for the incident were “still unclear.”

The report continued with more details on the marine display’s massive structure:

The website of the AquaDom described it as the biggest cylindrical tank in the world at 25 meters tall (82 feet tall), although Union Investment Real Estate clarified Friday that the tank portion of the attraction had a height of 14 meters (46 feet).

And unfortunately, the loss of life to the 15,000 sea creatures housed at the aquarium was almost total:

Nearly all of the 1,500 fish that were inside at the time of the rupture died, the Berlin Mitte district government confirmed via Twitter, adding “a few fish at the bottom of the tank” could still be saved.

While the investigation is ongoing, the current theory is that “freezing temperatures” might be the culprit:

There was speculation freezing temperatures that got down to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight caused a crack in the tank, which then exploded under the weight of the water. Police said there was no evidence the incident resulted from an attack.

In an update, AP shared that authorities said there were only two, minor injuries–which is very fortunate, considering how popular the aquarium is:

Berlin’s fire service said two people were slightly injured. Rescue dogs were searching the building for anyone who might be trapped under debris, they said.

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The aquarium, which was last modernized in 2020, is a major tourist magnet in Berlin. The 10-minute elevator ride through the tropical tank was one of the highlights of the attraction.

The mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey also made an important point about the incident — it could have been so much worse:

“Despite all the destruction, we were still very lucky,” she said. “We would have had terrible human damage” had the aquarium burst even an hour later, once more people were awake and in the hotel and the surrounding area, she said.

After news broke about the aquarium exploding, People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) felt it necessary to chime in, of course, taking to social media to threaten possible “legal action” on the “captive” fishies’ behalf, calling the aquarium a “death-trap.” Several outlets reported on the radical activist group’s furious (and ridiculous) tweeting.

“This man-made tragedy shows that aquariums are not a safe place for fish and other marine life,” the group wrote.

Nearly 1,500 fish dead after huge Berlin aquarium bursts, PETA slams 'death trap' https://t.co/mVnNXWhqlS pic.twitter.com/bAwruRoaoH

— 1010 WINS (@1010WINS) December 16, 2022