Georgia Aquarium CEO remembered for rescuing animals trafficked through Atlanta airport

ATLANTA - Georgia Aquarium CEO Brian Davis is being remembered as a leader, mentor and advocate for animals inside and outside the aquarium. Davis died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 50. However, the people who knew him well say they'll forever cherish the legacy he left behind.

"The ripple effect of his work will go on for decades," said Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari.

That ripple effect has commanded a wave of tributes to the CEO in the 24 hours since officials confirmed his sudden passing.

"I went completely numb when I found out," Bakhtiari admitted.

A statement issued Tuesday says Davis is remembered as one of the first employees hired at the aquarium before it opened in 2005 and as a leader who made every person he met better.

"He’s the type of person you found a connection with and fell in love with his personality and spirit in the first five minutes of meeting him," Bakhtiari said.

Bakhtiari told FOX 5 she knew Davis as a mentor who embraced her ideas as a new member of council.

"I went to him with one really crazy idea about how mushrooms have the ability to break down plastic," she said. "He was like, ‘We can pilot that, seventh floor of the aquarium, let’s figure it out.’ That was him. He was always trying to figure out a way to make the most innovative ideas work."

Dr. Brian Davis (Georgia Aquarium)

She said he would also be remembered as a fierce advocate for animals, inside and outside the aquarium. Bakhtiari recalled an instance of Davis stepping in to help recover a rare south Asian breed of fish being illegally trafficked through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport.

"He saw it as an educational opportunity and a way to get them placed in other areas around the country for safe keeping rather than being sent back or continuing to be trafficked, and that’s the type of work I believe he has done," she said.

Bakhtiari believes his work has inspired many and made his name one that won’t soon be forgotten.

Davis’ cause of death has not been released. There has also been no word on funeral arrangements yet.

Operations at the Georgia Aquarium will be limited over the next few days as staff deal with this heartbreaking news.