Why Hasn’t the Atlantis Hotel Released Sammy the Whale Shark?
After an outcry from Dubai citizens and concerned people everywhere, the local government ordered the Atlantis Hotel to release their 13-foot whale shark in October.
Regardless, the hotel has still not released the shark nor said when they intend to do so. So… what’s the hold-up?
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The Emirates Wildlife Society has renewed its demands on the hotel to release the shark, according to the Associated Press (which oddly did not mention that the hotel has been ordered to release the shark). In addition, the hotel has faced boycotts from travel agencies refusing to book stays at the Atlantis until the shark is freed.
Whale sharks, the largest fish species on the planet, have a vulnerable and unknown population and are recognized as a threatened species. They have needs that can hardly be met inside an aquarium; like a whale, they travel across the world’s oceans feeding on plankton along the way.
The 60-million-year-old species has been targeted across the globe for food by fisheries, but very few have been kept in captivity. Two aquariums in Japan have had over a dozen whale sharks over the years, losing many in premature deaths.
In the United States, the Atlanta Aquarium held four whale sharks before the two male sharks died in 2006. They have since replaced them with two other male sharks, both imported from Taiwan.
In lighter news, the Dubai Environmental Protection and Industrial Authority told a fisherman who caught a whale shark in November that he must return the fish to deep water, saying that the whale sharks are harmless and should be left alone.
Photo Credit: jon hanson on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
