UPDATE: Kmart has issued an apology and a statement of being generally bummed-out by the shark’s death.

And now, a moment of silence for a white-tipped shark that was sent to that big ocean in the sky last week after being shipped from New York to L.A. and placed in an above-ground backyard pool for a Kmart commercial shoot [cue moment]. 

Perhaps even worse, if it’s true? The Los Angeles Times cites a “whistle-blower” on set who says the people in charge of shooting the commercial asked for another shark after the first one died. Oof.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is ticked off at the American Humane Assn., the group in charge of the “No Animals Were Harmed” certification used in movies and commercials.

“Sharks are sensitive animals who, in captivity, require a highly specialized and controlled environment,” an animal behavior specialist for PETA wrote in a letter to an association official. “Given the delicate nature of this species, why would the AHA approve the transport and use of the animal?”

At the time, the shark was injected with adrenaline and received oxygen after it showed signs of stress. The shark was then taken from the pool and sent to a specialist in Long Beach, but it was too late. The shark reportedly died that afternoon.

PETA brings up the “whistle-blower” who worked on the commercial and said Kmart asked for a second shark. The production company apparently refused and used an animatronic hippopotamus instead, said PETA.

The AHA says it’s having a third party look into the shark’s death, adding that it doesn’t make “decisions about what animals are used, nor do we have jurisdiction over their transportation.”

Shark dies in Kmart commercial shoot in Van Nuys backyard pool [Los Angeles Times]

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