Sunday, August 1, 2010

A petition with 8,000 names calling for the release of a captured whale shark from the Atlantis aquarium is set to be presented to the resort’s management today.
It has gathered “a name a minute” via a Facebook group and gained momentum following a 7DAYS story which first revealed how environmentalists wanted the juvenile female shark to be set free.
British expat Donna Ralph is the creator of the group, called ‘Set the Whale Shark Free From the Atlantis Aquarium Dubai’.
Ralph, a 45-year-old teacher, has been amazed at the resp-onse the group has received - not just from campaigners in Dubai but from people around the world.
“The petition has gone through the roof - we have gone all around the world, with members inviting their friends,” she said.
“The whale shark should not be in an aquarium. She is four metres long and needs to grow to 15 metres, so she should be in the wild.
“She is being used as a tourist attraction and publicity stunt.
“I’ve been told Atlantis wanted a whale shark all along and that we shouldn’t be surprised if another one is brought in.”
“I started this petition with a couple of friends but when I saw the story on the front of 7DAYS I went mad and my blood boiled, so then we really went for it,” Ralph said.
Atlantis officials yesterday again refused to comment.
The resort issued a statement last month saying the “struggling” whale shark had been taken to its 11-million-litre lagoon “for medical care”.
Yet, 40 days later, the whale shark remains in captivity.
Do you know the circumstances surrounding the capture of the whale shark?
paul.mclennan@7days.ae