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Dubai: The UAE Federal Law No 11 for 2002 concerning regulating and Controlling International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora states in Article 3 that proof of legal ownership of any specimen within the included species in the appendices shall be the responsibility of the holder.
Article 6 states that any specimen taken from the sea, listed on CITES appendices, is prohibited unless prior permit is obtained.
Sammy, the whale shark in captivity in Atlantis has generated attention from international organisations such as the WWF and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Azzedine Downes, Vice-President for International Operations, International Fund for Animal Welfare in the UAE said IFAW has over one million supporters, many of whom are very willing to write to the Palm Atlantis management.
"[They] will change their travel plans if they believe that the Palm is not going to release the whale shark. We will be happy to begin forwarding these inquiries to the Palm Atlantis given that they do not seem to respond to Gulf News inquiries ... IFAW calls on the Palm Atlantis to simply do the right thing. Release the whale shark," he said.
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