Plea to free Atlantis whale shark

Environmental organisation joins campaign to release of a whale shark from the Atlantis theme park in Dubai.

The shark was caught off Jebel Ali in August.

An environmental organisation has today joined a campaign calling for the release of a juvenile whale shark from the Atlantis theme park in Dubai. The animal, which is four metres long was caught off Jebel Ali on 27 Aug but the circumstances of the animal's capture are unclear. The group of opponents protesting the animal's capture is now being backed by the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG), one of a handful of environmental organisations in Dubai. In a statement, the organisation called for the whale shark's release into the wild from the main aquarium at the newly-opened Atlantis situated on The Palm Jumeirah. "EMEG is voicing its concern over the status of this captive animal in order to pressure Atlantis into tagging and releasing this shark back into its natural habitat as soon as possible," it said. Ali al Suweidi, the organisation's president, added: "It is essential that this gentle giant be tagged and released as soon as possible to increase its chances of survival as well as gather scientific data on its movements in the Gulf." The whale shark has been the subject of controversy for weeks. It has appeared on the pages of newspapers around the world while executives in the United States and the UAE are pondering its fate as are ministry officials. EMEG had previously distanced itself from the debate. Although individual members had privately expressed their outrage, the group, which co-ordinates some of its conservation activities with developer Nakheel - a joint venture partner in the resort - had remained publicly silent on the matter. Reports have said that the whale shark was caught because it displayed signs of fatigue and distress. [e-mail]