Sharkie The Goldfish Lapping Up Stardom Tabloids Want A Piece Of Medical-Wonder Pet

With all the attention Sharkie the goldfish has been getting lately, it’s been like living in a fishbowl.

The pet has been the focus of global media attention - from the British Broadcasting Corp. to the tabloid television show “Hard Copy” - since he underwent a $100 lifesaving operation.

Two weeks ago, Don Rokkan asked a veterinarian to cut away a large tumor from Sharkie’s head. The fish has been doing well since veterinarian Charles Coleman performed the 10-minute operation.

“He hasn’t felt so good in years,” said Rokkan, who bought Sharkie for $8 five years ago for his daughter Lainey.

The Tri-City Herald ran an article about Sharkie last week. The Associated Press picked up the story and distributed it worldwide, and the media frenzy was on.

“Hard Copy” aired home video of the operation that Rokkan supplied free of charge.

Radio stations from Anchorage, Alaska; Salt Lake City; and Seattle called.

Rokkan gave an interview to the BBC over the weekend.

“The publicity was absolutely unexpected, but we thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it,” Rokkan said.

Producers from the “Leeza” television show called Monday, inviting father and daughter to Los Angeles to tape a segment Nov. 19.

The fish has became an important symbol of the relationship between Rokkan and his 11-year-old daughter, who lives 110 miles away with her mother in Ellensburg.

But the news about Sharkie isn’t all good. The tumor cut from him two weeks ago proved to be cancerous, and two other tumors are growing on the fish.

“They’re not invasive, so he could be OK once we get rid of these things,” Rokkan said.