GEORGIA (WHNT) — The Georgia Aquarium announced the death of one of its male whale sharks Thursday.
The aquarium said its team noticed changes in Taroko’s behavior through wellness monitoring. The team said his overall condition was deteriorating despite all veterinary and care interventions.
Wednesday night, the aquarium said it made the humane decision to euthanize Taroko.
“Taroko showed more than 43 million people the majesty of his species over the nearly two decades he lived here. He also contributed a wealth of data and information about whale shark biology, health, and behavior,” the aquarium said.
Taroko first came to the Georgia Aquarium in 2007 from Taiwan, where he was rescued from a seafood market.
The aquarium said the other male whale shark, Yushan, is doing well and that its focus is on his well-being.
“Caring for whale sharks is an immense honor and undertaking – we were privileged to know Taroko for so long and share him with all of you. Taroko was named for the Taiwanese national park that is beautiful and larger than life, and he will always be that to us,” Georgia Aquarium said.
Whale Sharks are known as the largest fish in the sea, spanning an average length between 18 and 32 feet. The Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium in the United States where you can visit these majestic sharks.
GA whale sharks are held in the aquarium’s largest tank, Ocean Voyager. This tank holds 6.3 million gallons of water and is home to over 50 species. As one of the largest single aquatic exhibits in the world, Ocean Voyager features an acrylic tunnel for guests to view thousands of marine creatures on all sides, as well as a giant acrylic viewing window to explore our oceans like never before, GA’s website says.
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