Rosie the Shark

Rosie the Shark

From Vet Med For Idiots By Idiots by Cory Johnson and Kent Morton DVM

March 3, 2026 · 1h 7m · Season 4 · Episode 20

About this episode

The episode tells the story of Rosie the Shark, her rescue, and preservation efforts led by Tom Kapitany.

Imagine with me for a moment. You go into an abandoned amusement center, urban adventuring, and you see a tank full of greenish fluid. Your flashlight reflects off the glass as the sun sets through broken windows on the other side of the room, and that's when you see it-the silhouette of a giant shark, suspended in time, waiting for her adoring public to return. Rosie is seen, and she's both terrifying and vulnerable. This was a moment that was the catalyst for Rosie's return. Rescued by geologist extraordinaire, palientologist, world traveler, owner of Crystal World, board and/or consult for multiple museums, and all around amazing and down to earth dude (basically everything any kid wanted to be when they grew up) Tom Kapitany, she was given a new lease on life. She is slowly being preserved for future onlookers, and she is a mirror to the human spirit. Please, listen to her story. Also, side note, we are still planning to release a bunch of videos eventually, and it will make this episode even better. Tom gave us a tour of Crystal World, and as much as we try to describe, it's much better seen than heard. However, the conversation was just too good to get rid of, so apologies…

People in this episode

Hosts: Cory Johnson, Kent Morton DVM

Guest: Tom Kapitany

Topics covered

  • shark preservation
  • urban exploration
  • paleontology
  • animal rescue
  • human spirit

Keywords

  • Rosie the Shark
  • Tom Kapitany
  • Crystal World
  • animal rescue
  • paleontology
  • urban adventure
  • GoFundMe

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Crystal World, GoFundMe

Places: Victoria Australia

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