Hey, Atlantis Dubai: Free Sammy!

October 20, 2008 at 2:15 PM | 1 Comment

Sammy the Whale Shark, surrounded by its entourage

Add another one to the growing problems of Dubai's' Atlantis, the Palm, this one involving a whale shark. Don't worry, it didn't eat anyone--yet.

The Atlantis which opened just last month had claimed it "rescued" the "distressed" whale shark, which is an endangered species, off the coast of Dubai, but according to some former staffers capturing a whale shark was always the plan. Um. Former staffers? This place has only been open a month!

Currently the shark, which has been nicknamed Sammy by the local media, has plenty of room to swim and grow and joins a bunch of dolphins and other sharks in what the Atlantis deems the "first marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation center in Dubai."

Atlantis has permission to temporarily house up to 20 sharks, but needs a different type of license to permanently house it. In the past, Atlantis said it will tag and release the shark, but there is growing speculation it will not.

Everyone from newspapers to local schools PETA, and now, a Facebook Group, are all pressuring the hotel to release the whale.

Now in addition to a smoky lobby fire three weeks before opening, a water main break which disrupted water throughout the hotel, and complaints of bad customer service, Atlantis has a growing PR problem. Should they release this endangered species back into the wild? Or should they continue to parade it around as an attraction? Let us know what you think in comments below.

[Photo: Gulf News]

Tags: Hotel News / Dubai Hotels / Atlantis Resorts / Hotel Animals

by AndrewC

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