WHALE SHARK TASTES FREEDOM ONCE AGAIN

DUBAI, March 19 (Bernama) — A whale shark called “Sammy” has been freed after spending 18 months in the aquarium of a luxury hotel here.

“After several months of planning, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai has returned a female whale shark to the waters of the Arabian Gulf from where she was rescued,” Gulf News quoted the hotel as saying.

The hotel said its fish husbandry team adhered to all regulations under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species in efforts to save the animal.

The daily cited Atlantis as saying that it had been preparing the shark for return to the ocean during the time that it was being held.

“The seasonal elements affecting water temperature, salinity and migratory patterns were perfect for enhancing her survival in the open ocean,” said Atlantis, an ocean-themed resort that sits atop the crescent of the man-made Palm Jumeirah off the coast of Dubai.

Conservationists had accused the hotel of using the mammal to pull in the crowds since its capture in 2008.

— BERNAMA