Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, an ocean-themed destination resort, has returned a female whale shark back into the waters of the Arabian Gulf from where she was rescued, after attracting considerable criticism from  environmentalists.

The Atlantis Fish Husbandry Team utilised their experience and skill to save the animal in compliance with all Cites regulations when she was found off the coast in distress and has been preparing the animal for return to the ocean, said a company statement.

The seasonal elements affecting water temperature, salinity and migratory patterns were perfect for enhancing her survival in the open ocean, said a spokesperson.

“We will continue to track her progress through a tagging program co-developed with The Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida (the world’s largest scientific research organisation dedicated to the study of sharks and their relatives)”, commented Steve Kaiser, vice president, Marine and Science Engineering. 

“The whale shark is an animal about which little is known and Atlantis is proud that the research and data gathered can be shared amongst the marine community,” Kaiser continued. “Aquariums and marine habitats are the key to education about our oceans and the animals that live in them.” 

The marine habitats at Atlantis, The Palm, use over 42 million litres of seawater from the Arabian Gulf in an open-flow system through an almost four million litre reservoir, and then sand filtered, infused and cleaned with ozone before flowing into the marine habitats around the resort. 

This aquatic ecosystem mimics that which the marine life would experience in the wild, with a constant change in surroundings and seasonal changes in temperature.

The marine habitat also features a fish hospital with quarantine pools for newborns, ailing and acclimatising marine life. This state-of-the-art feature enables Atlantis to serve as a rescue and rehabilitation centre for sea life, including marine mammals. It is the only centre for stranded animals in the Arabian Gulf, he added.-TradeArabia News Service