Baby shark swims to freedom

ABU DHABI // The baby whale shark that had many fearing for its life after it swam into Al Bateen Marina four days ago has found its way back into the open water. Yesterday morning a team of specialists from the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) went to assess the condition of the four-metre fish, which was first spotted on Sunday at the site known as Fisherman's Marina at Al Bateen Wharf development.

Nasser al Shaiba, the director of environmental affairs at TDIC, said staff believed the female pup had left Al Bateen Marina. He stressed that they were taking extra precautions, as this was the second time they had assumed the shark had moved on. "We will continue to check the area and will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the shark," he said. "It should be noted that marine species do frequently appear in marinas, often while seeking food sources, but they are usually able to find their own way out with minimal or no intervention."

Mr al Shaiba also urged people not to jump into the water to swim with the shark if it returned. Although whale sharks are gentle creatures and pose no danger to humans, Mr al Shaiba said to swim with the pup would be dangerous for the fish and the swimmers because of the frequent boat traffic in the marina. [e-mail]