Whale Shark swims through aquarium. Photo Credit: Björn on Unsplash
Although many Georgia locals and Americans alike are hoping to welcome another whale shark to the Georgia Aquarium after Taroko’s death, it’s less than likely.
On Aug. 20th, the Georgia Aquarium’s beloved whale shark Taroko was euthanized after caretakers noticed his declining health.
In a Facebook post the following day, the Georgia Aquarium shared information on Taroko’s condition before his passing and noted that he touched the lives of over 43 million people. Naturally, the public’s response was full of remorse and sympathy.
However, some comments seemed to urge the aquarium to find a new whale shark to fill the tank and accompany Yushan, the last remaining whale shark in the aquarium.
Georgia Aquarium officials stated that there are no current plans to obtain another whale shark, and knowing the aquarium’s ethics in rescue, there may not be an addition anytime soon.
Taroko and Yushan were rescued by the aquarium from a Taiwan seafood market in 2007. Since then, the two inhabited the Ocean Voyager tank, which contains over 6 million gallons of water and houses dozens of different species in the name of aquatic research and education.
As a Class R facility, the aquarium is held to an incredibly high standard for animal care and research, and it strives to rescue animals that would not otherwise be able to survive in the wild.
Yushan, Taroko and other whale sharks once in the GA aquarium’s care are examples of this. They weren’t bought or captured with entertainment in mind, like at organizations such as SeaWorld. Instead, they were brought to the aquarium to protect them, promote conservation efforts and provide research opportunities.
With this in mind, it’s clear that the Georgia Aquarium would never seek out or purchase a whale shark simply to replace Taroko. The most ethical path would be to rescue one in need.
However, the odds of that are slim.
The seafood markets that Yushan and Taroko were rescued from are no longer operational.
Thanks to a law passed in 2008, there is a total ban on hunting and selling whale sharks in Taiwan. While this means there aren’t any similar whale sharks for the Georgia Aquarium to rescue, it also shows that efforts to protect the species are working.
Another important detail to note is that whale sharks are generally solitary creatures in both the wild and captivity.
Although Yushan and Taroko spent almost two decades in the Ocean Voyager tank together, Yushan will at most recognize that Taroko is no longer there, and there is not a pressing need to “replace” him. According to Georgia Aquarium officials, Taroko’s unfortunate passing should not impact Yushan’s general wellbeing.
While the Georgia Aquarium has the resources to rescue another whale shark if the need arises, the probability of that is low, and it would be unethical to pressure the aquarium into “getting” another one solely to meet the public’s expectations.
Instead, we need to focus on supporting the aquarium’s research and conservation efforts during this tough time.
