A Whale Shark was found stranded in a human-made lagoon in Al Baniyah area in Abu Dhabi.
In a video uploaded by the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office, it shows how the Whale Shark had lost its way from the Arabian Gulf and had found itself in a lagoon in Al Baniyah area.
The 6-metre Whale Shark was found circling in the water, incapable of getting back as well as unable to feed.
Whale Sharks, despite the name, are considered as the World’s largest fish and are not a type of whale or shark. They feed on plankton and in recent years have found to be critically endangered and are on the brink of extinction.
The Environmental Agency and The National Aquarium in Abu Dhabi intervened and strategised a way to help the Whale Shark find its way back to the Arabian Gulf as it was a 20 km journey.
A transportation bag was created to capture the Whale Shark and to provide it safe passage back to the Gulf. Divers were continually monitoring the behaviour of the Whale Shark to ensure its safety.
The process took about 5 hours to complete, and the Whale Shark was safely released with a satellite tag attached to monitor its behavioural patterns.
It has now travelled more than 250km and is headed towards a Whale Shark Aggregation in the Arabian Gulf.