Absolutely worth the visit if you’re in the Atlanta area. It’s super expensive though. We got lucky and scored free tickets from a friend.
Some more pics. I have video too but no good way to post it.
this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2024
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Yeah, but they keep whale sharks in captivity. Whale sharks are too large for that environment.
I don't know how much room whale sharks need, but the tank they are in is the size of a stadium. My brother, who I went with, got to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff once and he told me the tank is so huge that they have to row out to the middle in boats just to feed the fish.
They also didn't appear to be in any way unhealthy. Quite the opposite.
I'm not in general a big fan of keeping animals in small enclosures, but it really was not a small enclosure.
The aquarium's website says the tank is 6.3 million gallons and ranges from 20 to 30 feet deep. That's fucking huge.
They also apparently have a big team that takes care of them: https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/resource-center/stories/caring-for-the-oceans-gentle-giants/
I appreciate all that, and I very much enjoyed that aquarium myself, but I just can't approve of keeping large, pelagic animals in captivity unless it's to try to rehabilitate them. These are animals that travel thousands of miles when they're out in a natural environment.
I totally get that. But I also think there is value in having people see those animals for themselves to understand why our natural world needs to be preserved. And, unfortunately, these whale sharks might be more likely to survive than the ones in the ocean the way climate change is going.
I can't disagree, but it brings a bad taste to the mouth.