Emmanuelle Landais, Gulf News 7 Oct 08;
Dubai: Atlantis hotel is being urged to release a captured whale shark by environmentalists as the fish has been put in an aquarium in the resort without proper international permission.
Ebrahim Al Zu'bi, advisor to the Emirates Diving Association, said he believed the shark would be tagged and released.
Local media reports said that hotel manager Alan Leibman claimed that there are no such plans and the whale shark will stay in the hotel.
"I was told it would be released so I will be very disappointed if it isn't, I hope that they will rethink their decision," said Al Zu'bi, previously involved in whale shark tagging programmes in the Indian Ocean.
The juvenile whale shark placed in Atlantis hotel aquarium on Palm Jumeirah is there illegally, according to international standards, as the hotel resort has not applied for the appropriate permit to keep the wild-caught fish, Gulf News has learnt.
Not endangered
When an animal such as a whale shark is either beached or rescued and removed from the ocean, the concerned authorities need to be made aware so a permit can be issued.
According to an animal non-governmental organisation linked to the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) authority at the Ministry of Environment and Water, no such permit has been issued.
"As far as we know there is no permit issued from the CITES office in Dubai," said the CITES-linked source.
"This hotel for example, has the right to rescue an animal but they need a permit to keep it and they have to inform the authorities. The whole country knows there is a whale shark at this hotel but we have not been officially made aware of it."
Whale sharks are listed on appendix two of CITES which means they are not an endangered species but permission is needed to remove them from the ocean. No comment was available from Atlantis at any time.
Gulf News reported last month that the Atlantis resort, which already has permits to house around twenty wild-caught dolphins, received the whale shark after fishermen found it struggling in shallow waters and brought it to the hotel to recover.
The hotel said in a statement at the time that due to the high sea temperature and salinity of the water where the whale shark was found, the decision was made to transport the whale shark to Atlantis for medical care and observation.
According to the resort, the animal is being monitored 24 hours a day to gather data on swim patterns, feeding and behaviours.
This hotel for example, has the right to rescue an animal but they need a permit to keep it and they have to inform the authorities."
