Environment authorities released a video detailing the dramatic rescue of a whale shark in Abu Dhabi.
The six-metre fish was first spotted farther down the coast with a smaller juvenile in September, after following a plankton bloom into canals at Raha Beach.
It hung around for several weeks before in early November heading a few miles north up to the waters off Al Bahiyah, where it became stuck, swimming in circles in a man-made lagoon.
Authorities decided to step in after it became clear the fish was trapped and could not feed.
The whale shark, the largest living species of shark, can grow up to 12 metres and weigh as much as 40 tonnes.
“We were hoping we would not need to intervene and he would leave with the tide,” said Maitha Al Hameli, lead specialist for Marine Threatened Species and Habitats at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
“It’s better not to intervene when it comes to wildlife. We don’t want to stress them out.
“But when we saw that he was not going out when the tide was going out, and he was dependent on anything that came into the lagoon, we decided to come up with a plan to move him out with the National Aquarium.”
Experts first tagged the whale shark, to monitor its movements, before placing it in a water transport bag.
Jet skis then towed the big fish through the narrow entrance of the channel and 20 kilometres out into the Arabian Gulf, as free divers swam alongside to monitor it.
Data collected by the tag, which was provided by King Fahd University in Saudi Arabia, showed the whale shark had travelled 232km into the Arabian Gulf in the first five days after the rescue on November 12.
Experts said it was a good sign and showed the whale shark, which had been swimming in narrow canals in Al Raha and Al Bahiyah for three months, was healthy.
Experts said the juvenile four-metre whale shark that originally accompanied him when they first arrived in September stayed in the Al Raha area until about the same time in November, when it left abruptly.
The EAD was monitoring both whale sharks, and stepped in several times to supplement the juvenile’s diet with krill and remove fish hooks that became caught in its fins.
It also imposed a temporary ban on marine traffic in the area to protect the fish.
Abu Dhabi is typically visited by whale sharks a couple of times a year, but to have two stay for months is unprecedented.
They were both believed to have become disorientated and unable to find their way out into the Arabian Gulf.
It is not known where the juvenile is now, but experts believe it is now also back out in the open sea.
Whale sharks have a broad, flattened head with stripes and spots on their bodies and rows of more than 300 tiny teeth.
They are, however, gentle giants and filter feeders, existing on krill and plankton.
They are believed to live as long as 130 years and are found in all warm waters of the world. There are thought to be about 7,000 left in the wild.
Despite their size, some have been captured and displayed in aquariums.
A female whale shark with extensive abrasions, which was rescued from shallow waters in 2008, was briefly kept in Dubai’s Atlantis The Palm hotel. But the aquarium released it in 2010, after 19 months in captivity.
A tracker monitoring her movements fell off after 33 days, when she was in the waters off the coast of Qatar.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Brief scoreline:
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
