Can whale sharks be kept in captivity?

In captivity The whale shark is popular in the few public aquariums that keep it, but its large size means that a very large tank is required and it has specialized feeding requirements.

Why was Trixie the whale shark in captivity?

“She was having difficulty navigating the habitat earlier in the day and then her health rapidly declined. Even after exhaustive veterinary and animal care efforts, she ultimately passed away.” Trixie arrived at the aquarium in 2006 as one of the facility’s first whale sharks, according to the institution.

Who has whale sharks in captivity?

The Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium is the only institution outside of Asia to house whale sharks. The sharks are kept in a gigantic 24 million liter (6.3 million gallon) tank in the Ocean Voyager exhibit.

What is the largest whale shark in captivity?

The largest accurately measured whale shark was 61.7 feet (18.8 m). The average length is between 18 and 32.8 feet (5.5 – 10 m). Newborns measure 21 to 25 inches (53 – 64 cm) long.

How many whale sharks are in captivity?

Ocean Voyager holds 24 million liters (6.3 million US gallons) of water and was specially designed to house whale sharks, the largest fish species in the world. At the moment there are 4 whale sharks in the aquarium and can watch them live on web cam or … you can swim with whale sharks in aquarium.

How did Georgia Aquarium get their whale sharks?

The Georgia Aquarium whale sharks came from the coastal seas of Taiwan. Working with the Taiwanese government and local fisherman, Georgia Aquarium obtained the required permits and created the safest and most secure method for the acquisition and transport of the animals from Taiwan to Atlanta, GA.

Is Georgia Aquarium ethical?

Georgia Aquarium is now licensed as a Class R research facility under the Animal Welfare Act. This license is the highest standard of establishing ethical review of animal research for advanced scientific understanding. regulated by the Animal Welfare Act under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Why can’t great white sharks stay in captivity?

Basically, there are two main reasons great whites aren’t kept in captivity: it takes an insane amount of resources for the aquarium to pull; and – most importantly – the sharks die quickly outside of the oceans no matter what zookeepers do.