According to media in the UAE, Sammy the Whale Shark was released from captivity recently. However things aren't quite as clear on the Set The Whale Shark Free From The Atlantis Aquarium Dubai facebook group:
Nigel Smith: "Sad news: Sammy has died. The Dubai hotel that was holding her captive in an aquarium has sent out a press release claiming she was released yesterday. But an insider at the Atlantis Resort said Sammy, who's become critically ill while in captivity, had been euthanise...d and secretly removed from her tank. The hotel had previously advised Dubai authorities that Sammy was too sick to be successully removed from the tank and returned to the sea. Local journalists in Dubai said they became suspicious when the hotel made its announcement that Sammy had been released, but were unable to provide photographs of the event. The journalists said the secrecy surrounding Sammy's departure was also suspicious as the whale shark had become a huge drawcard for the Atlantis."
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oh, this made me really sad.. very bad news from the morning..
ReplyDeletei just saw Sammy a fortnight ago.. he was simming...
Oh dear, that is sad. I wondered why they hadn't made more fuss about the release considering all the petitions and so on last year, now it makes sense. :-( RIP Sammy.
ReplyDeletethe press lie! surely not
ReplyDeleteYep - when I read that she had been "released", my first thought was that she had died.
ReplyDeletethoughtless exploitation = needless demise.