Employees of the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates helped nurse a juvenile Whale Shark back to health last month after a juvenile Whale Shark was brought to them by fishermen. The Whale Shark is now named Sammy and is being exhibited by the Atlantis Hotel. The Atlantis Hotel is in violation of international law. Most of the biologists and divers involved in nursing the Whale Shark back to health believed that Sammy was to be tagged and released. The Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) has Whale Sharks listed as an appendix two species, which means while they are not critically endangered, a special permit is required to remove them from the ocean. The Atlantis Hotel never got their permit. It was legal for the Atlantis to save the Whale Shark, it is illegal for them to keep the Whale Shark as a tourist attraction. As we all know from the repeated tragic deaths of Whale Sharks at the Georgia Aquarium, Whale Sharks are too large and complex to be kept in captivity.

Hubris I say, hubris!

--Sharky

technorati tags: Sharks, Whale Sharks, UAE, Dubai, Georgia Aquarium, CITES, endangered species, Atlantis Hotel, Sammy Davis Jr.

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