Dubai: Over 140 days and counting for Sammy, the whale shark, who remains captive in a giant aquarium at the Atlantis hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.
Celebrities came, fireworks lit up the sky, and swirls of red carpet welcomed the glitterati as the hotel held one of the most expensive opening parties last November.
But there seems to be no reprieve for the juvenile whale shark who spends its hours in silent confinement.
When it was first captured, there was news of it being tagged and eventually released.
Francois Nel/Gulf News: Sammy in his tank at Atlantis. Whale sharks are an endangered species. They are filter-feeders that swim with their mouths wide open, eating plankton.In a September 10, 2008, report published by Gulf News, Alan Leibman, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, was quoted: "The whale shark is an animal about which little is known and we hope that we can add to the research and data that is available.
"Aquariums and marine habitats have been the key to education about our oceans and the animals that live in them. Education, conservation and research go hand in hand to benefit all marine life."
Fair enough, but when was the endangered animal that usually covers thousands of kilometres in a single journey to be returned to its natural habitat? As the days wore on, silence from Atlantis increased.
Gulf News's 'Save Sammy' campaign brought its plight to the fore. She may be housed in one of the world's largest aquariums but it is still a confined space for a creature that would grow to about 38 feet in length.
Readers reacted, voiced their displeasure at the continued captivity, stuck on Sammy badges and demanded its release, but to no avail.
Then there was a positive turn. In a Gulf News report published last October 19, Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, told the newspaper: "Having this whale shark is very educational for ... children and for all ... people. This is a very rare animal and they [Atlantis] are keeping it in the main aquarium for everyone to see. They will release it."
A breakthrough
He said the UAE is a signatory to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and the whale shark would be released. However, he did not say when.
In yet another report, Dr Saif Al Ghais, head of the Environmental and Industrial Authority, urged fishermen to leave whale sharks alone as they are harmless.
International organisations joined in, people from across the globe wrote to Gulf News and the hotel. Letters poured in. The silence was deafening.
Readers created songs online, mothers wrote bedtime stories featuring Sammy, and the whale shark became a symbol of silent suffering that the defenceless are often habituated to.
On December 18, the newspaper approached the public relations company for Atlantis, d-pr, again asking when Sammy was going to be free. The silence was broken, but all the public relations company for the hotel said, after repeated emails, was, "There are no updates".
Silence
As the holiday season bore down upon us, Gulf News decided to give them a further extension to release a statement about the whale shark. A final reminder was sent on January 5, 2009. Silence. This clearly shows that the management of Atlantis has no respect for the Press and no sense of accountability towards the residents of the country or the community it is based in.
Trevor Wheeler, Middle East programmes director for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) responded. He told Gulf News: "The WSPA is disappointed to learn that Sammy the whale shark is being held in captivity.
"The continued incarceration of this creature has been condemned worldwide by all leading international animal welfare organisations as well as specialised whale and dolphin societies around the world."
WSPA the world's largest federation of animal welfare groups made up of 1,000 organisations representing 157 countries. WSPA has consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe and works in conjunction with the World Health Organisation.
Wheeler said: "Despite reassurances from Atlantis many months ago that they were preparing to release Sammy...she remains captive."
This is echoed by other animal rights bodies.
Azzedine Downes, vice- president for International Operations of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said: "I think that Gulf News's campaign to save Sammy has been great, because it lets a hotel that relies on the public know that the public is against keeping the whale shark in captivity.
"We have heard from our supporters around the world, particularly from India, the UK, Germany, and the US. They want Sammy released."
The law of nature
Downes explains why the extending internment of the animal violates natural law.
He said: "IFAW believes that wild animals belong in the wild. To take a breeding female out of a wild population under threat is irresponsible. The hotel should be more concerned with the safety of the population, as it is doubtful Sammy was in danger in the first place!" IFAW is the largest animal welfare organisation in the world with over two million supporters.
Downes added: "It is not illegal for them to keep the shark as it was traded internationally." But that does not make its imprisonment acceptable.
Freedom, they sing, is when there is nothing left to lose. We hope that is not the fate that awaits this gentle giant of the sea.
"The WSPA urges the continued protest by all of the groups and individuals who have made their feelings known about this issue...until they [Atlantis] keep their promise to release Sammy," added Wheeler.
Gulf News concludes its 'Save Sammy' cause in the hope our readers and other organisations will not let the whale shark be forgotten.
The continued incarceration of this creature has been condemned worldwide by all leading international animal welfare organisations as well as specialised whale and dolphin societies around the world."
Trevor Wheeler
Middle East programmes director, for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
I think that Gulf News's campaign to save Sammy has been great, because it lets a hotel that relies on the public know that the public is against keeping the whale shark in captivity. We have heard from our supporters around the world, particularly from India, UK, Germany and the US. They want Sammy released."
Azzedine Downes
Vice-president for International Operations of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)