Groups cite whale shark deaths

That so-called world's biggest oceanarium isn't even 0.001% of a whale shark's natural range! 3,500 people have already signed the whale shark petition in 6 days, please add your support now!

Groups cite whale shark deaths here
Protesters want to prevent resort from including those fish. Aquarium neutral on idea.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Thursday, March 19, 2009

Animal welfare groups half a world away are using the 2007 deaths of two whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium in an effort to stop a Singapore resort from displaying the huge fish.

The groups, which include the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have launched a Web site (whalesharkpetition.com) and petition drive that highlights the Georgia Aquarium whale sharks deaths to argue that the big fish should not be kept in captivity at a new marine park in Singapore.

Ralph and Norton —- two adolescent whale sharks brought to Atlanta from Taiwan —- died two years ago after their tank was treated with a chemical used to rid fish of parasites.

Resorts World at Sentosa is building two casinos in Singapore, which will feature what the resort calls the “world’s biggest oceanarium” when it opens next year. The resort says the oceanarium will house 700,000 fish in 20 million gallons of water.

Whale sharks are ocean-going fish that can dive to depths of several thousand feet in the wild. They have been kept successfully for more than a decade at some Asian aquariums. However, critics argue the majority of whale sharks held in captivity die within a few years of their capture.