Photo contribution : The Augusta Chronicle
The Georgia Aquarium has been mourning the loss of one of their gentle giants: Taroko the whale shark. He was euthanized in August after employees noticed significant shifts in his behavior and appetite. Millions of visitors who got to see this incredible animal in person are grieving losing such a beautiful creature.
The Georgia Aquarium operates daily as a safe haven for many different species. For example, Taroko was first brought to his Atlanta home after being rescued from a seafood market in Taiwan. Another whale shark, Yushan, shared space with Taroko. The two animals were unable to be released back into the wild due to both being rescued. Luckily, the Atlanta aquarium took them in, and they spent a great deal of time in the aquarium that can house whale sharks in North America. Yushan is still alive and doing well. As an adult whale shark is comparable in size to a school bus, the pair needed a large tank! Taroko spent nearly two decades in a 6.3 million gallon tank, surrounded by Yushan, manta rays, sharks, and thousands of species of fish. To put this into perspective, the amount of water in this tank would overfill a football stadium. This exhibit is the largest of its kind in the world, and also includes a 100-foot long underwater tunnel and one of the world’s largest viewing windows.
Clearly, this is no ordinary place. It is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, and features over 100,000 creatures. Additionally, it has a large focus on sustainability, and recycles nearly 99% of its water. For a place with 11 million gallons of water in it, this is no easy task. Along with being the only place in North America to view whale sharks, it is the only aquarium where one can see manta rays. The location has also been rented out to appear in movies, most notably including “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”.
Arguably the most important thing about the place, though, is its mission of conserving and protecting marine life. The Georgia Aquarium has non-profit status and dedicates itself to aquatic research and providing excellent animal care. Nonprofits need outside support, though– because how can one get the public to care about protecting aquatic animals, if they don’t even know what they’re like? Well, the organization knows it must educate the public about animal life and why they should protect it. Thus, multiple unique experiences are provided to visitors. Here, people get to see these creatures in a new light, and will hopefully leave the aquarium motivated to help the Georgia Aquarium preserve the sea. For example, visitors can have private encounters with a throng of animals– beluga whales, dolphins, harbor seals, penguins, sea lions, sea otters, and even both sharks and rays at the same time! These experiences are incredible for anyone, whether someone has loved the ocean their entire life, or just likes to try new things.
Perhaps some don’t want to share the water with or touch an animal. They still have opportunities to see them up close and personal! Sea lion and dolphin presentations occur frequently at the aquarium. Here, the animals perform tricks for an awe-struck audience.
But for a risk-taker, perhaps the most phenomenal experience provided by the aquarium is a chance to dive inside the whale shark tank, right next to them. It can’t get much better than that!
Additionally, the aquarium can be booked for private experiences, and also hosts “sleepovers” where people can spend the night! Finally, they offer multiple seasonal gatherings. Halloween, winter holidays, and summer all have different exciting, timely events planned.
It is safe to assume that Taroko had a life full of excitement, plenty of visitors, and lots of aquatic friends. Donate to support the aquarium at https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/donations/.
