UAE | Environment

Stranded whale shark leaves marina unaided

A stranded whale shark, which attracted more than a thousand bystanders to peer into the waters of the marina for a glimpse on Saturday, has left the harbour.

  • By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 July 18, 2005
  • Gulf News

A stranded whale shark, which attracted more than a thousand bystanders to peer into the waters of the marina for a glimpse on Saturday, has left the harbour.

An Emirates Diving Association diver gets close to the young whale shark at Dubai Marina.

After several failed attempts to drive the harmless creature out with sound barriers and nets, the authorities decided to let it find its own way out.

Captain Hussain Al Rahoomi, rescue director in charge at Dubai police, said yesterday the shark had left the harbour.

"We are not sure when ... early this morning I received a call telling me the whale shark had finally left the marina of its own accord," he said.

Divers from the Emirates Diving Association (EDA) and Dubai police entered the water to check on the condition of the shark yesterday.

Ebrahim Al Zu'bi, director of environment and research at EDA, said they had worked alongside the police to find a suitable way to help the shark leave the marina.

"We know it was a male shark and we expected it to leave at night with the high tide. Police divers and EDA divers went in the water and swam with it for about an hour to try and lead it out of the marina. We assisted the police and decided sound barriers and nets would really not work. We wanted to make sure it wasn't injured for a start which could have been a reason it was roaming," said Al Zu'bi.

He added a large yacht was blocking the way and its shadow made it seem like there was little space for it to pass. A whale shark was spotted last year too.

"It's not clear how it got to the marina," he said.

Juma Bin Thalith, Director of EDA's Heritage, said the shark's local name is Tsheer and it used to be spotted in ancient times by local fishermen and pearl divers.

However, Saif Al Ghais, associate professor of Marine Biology at the UAE University and the Head of Marine Environment Research Section, said he was extremely surprised a whale shark had been spotted at this time of year.

"They are more common in the winter season. I have no idea why it is here at this time. It really is very rare in July.

"The whale sharks are more common near Mussandam. The Gulf is not really a breeding ground for them either, they usually come from the Indian Ocean in the cool months from November to February. In the Arabian Sea they are usually seen in the Gulf of Oman," added Al Ghais.

He said that whale sharks usually travel in groups of five or six and so perhaps the juvenile lost in Dubai Marina yesterday had strayed from his group.

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