Whale Shark Dies at Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium confirmed that one of the four whale sharks brought to the aquarium for attempts at a captive breeding program died on Thursday evening. It is the second death of a prominent animal at the world's largest aquarium this month.

According to Aquarium officials, Ralph, one of the four whale sharks rescued by the Georgia Aquarium in Taiwan, died at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. The Georgia Aquarium's executive director, Jeff Swanagan, said that staff members there noticed that Ralph was not swimming on Thursday afternoon.

"At 1:30, Ralph was observed not swimming," Swanagan said. "Our husbandry staff and veterinary staff gave him medical attention, and they did that for eight straight hours."

The two male whale sharks, Ralph and Norton were brought to the Georgia Aquarium from Taiwan in 2005, where they would have been harvested as a food source. Two female whale sharks, Trixie and Alice, came to the Aquarium last June.

Earlier this month, Gaspar, a beluga whale who had been in poor condition since his rescue from an amusement park in Mexico City in October 2005, was euthanized (read related story).

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