Whale sharks in captivity
I'd been planning to make a whale shark thread for the longest time and kept putting it off, now you've beat me to it! 
There's at least 18-20 whale sharks in captivity currently:
I plan on emailing Churaumi about the sharks in their sea pens, they're typically very transparent and give in-depth responses to inquiries.
There's at least 18-20 whale sharks in captivity currently:
- Chimelong Ocean Kingdom - imported 4.4 (incl. 2.0 Dianjing and Tianyou, and 0.2 Lisha and Daianna), currently has ~6 give or take
- Cube Oceanarium - 0.0.1
- Georgia Aquarium - 2.0 (Taroko and Yushan)
- Ioworld Kagoshima Aquarium - 1.0 (Yuuyuu X)
- Notojima Aquarium - 2.0 (Suzubei and Nanabei)
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium - 1.0 (Jinta - oldest whale shark ever held in captivity) + others likely held in their seapens.
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - 1.1 (1.0 Kai VIII and 0.1 Yuu IV) + 0.1.1 at their Iburi Center.
- Yantai Haichang Whale Shark Ocean Park - 1.0
I plan on emailing Churaumi about the sharks in their sea pens, they're typically very transparent and give in-depth responses to inquiries.
Dubai Aquarium has previously kept the species, but they have since been released. Seen an image of a Whale Shark at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, I don't know whether or not they still have it.
Sea Paradise no longer houses whale sharks
Wikipedia mentions several other facilities that have previously kept Whale Sharks, Kagoshima Aquarium, Kinosaki Marine World, Oita Ecological Aquarium, Aqua Planet Jeju, Dalian Aquarium, Guangzhou Aquarium, Qingdao Polar Ocean World, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium and Thiruvananthapuram Aquarium.
Kagoshima still has a male, Yuuyuu X
Since we're talking former exhibitors, there's also Nanning Zoo, Grandview Aquarium, Boundary Island Ocean Theater, Taitung National Marine Life Exhibition Hall, Taitung Fisheries Research Institute, Penghu Aquarium, and Izu Mito Sea Paradise (the first facility to ever house a whale shark)
Tiger
Well-Known Member
Well... it's like the proverb: "The fastest wins'I'd been planning to make a whale shark thread for the longest time and kept putting it off, now you've beat me to it!
.Thanks for this impressive list, although in the end it turns out that it's not quite right, but still handsome workThere's at least 18-20 whale sharks in captivity currently:
A very large list of parks have had whale sharks at some point in the last 5 years alone but the above are the only parks I was able to find recent confirmation for.
- Chimelong Ocean Kingdom - imported 4.4 (incl. 2.0 Dianjing and Tianyou, and 0.2 Lisha and Daianna), currently has ~6 give or take
- Cube Oceanarium - 0.0.1
- Georgia Aquarium - 2.0 (Taroko and Yushan)
- Ioworld Kagoshima Aquarium - 1.0 (Yuuyuu X)
- Notojima Aquarium - 2.0 (Suzubei and Nanabei)
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium - 1.0 (Jinta - oldest whale shark ever held in captivity) + others likely held in their seapens.
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - 1.1 (1.0 Kai VIII and 0.1 Yuu IV) + 0.1.1 at their Iburi Center.
- Yantai Haichang Whale Shark Ocean Park - 1.0
I plan on emailing Churaumi about the sharks in their sea pens, they're typically very transparent and give in-depth responses to inquiries.
.
It might be helpful to explain what you think is incorrect about the list, rather than just saying "in the end it turns out that it's not quite right".Thanks for this impressive list, although in the end it turns out that it's not quite right, but still handsome work
Tiger
Well-Known Member
Well... I got a little confused. The post by @DaLilFishie listed some other zoos with whale sharks until I just rereaded the post and saw that they were former keepers
.I’ve compiled the latest numbers of captive whale sharks worldwide as follows. Are these figures accurate?
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom – 0.0.4
Georgia Aquarium – 1.0.0
Ioworld Kagoshima Aquarium – 1.0.0
Kaiyukan Marine Biological Recerch Institute Iburi Center – 0.0.2
Notojima Aquarium – 0.1.0
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – 1.1.0 (the female is not on public display)
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan – 1.1.0
Yantai Haichang Whale Shark Ocean Park – 1.0.0
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom – 0.0.4
Georgia Aquarium – 1.0.0
Ioworld Kagoshima Aquarium – 1.0.0
Kaiyukan Marine Biological Recerch Institute Iburi Center – 0.0.2
Notojima Aquarium – 0.1.0
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – 1.1.0 (the female is not on public display)
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan – 1.1.0
Yantai Haichang Whale Shark Ocean Park – 1.0.0
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Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
I can only confirm GA, but that’s definitely accurate outside of Asia at the moment. Yushan is now the only one.
Can confirm 2 individuals at Osaka as of 8th of April this year, but I did not note their sexes.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Yeah, the COVID pandemic era was not kind to the aquarium at all - they lost a whale shark, a manta, and a beluga in 2020-21, and another whale shark shortly after in like 2022. I don’t know that the actual constraints/work problems of the pandemic caused those deaths, in fact it would be irresponsible to even imply or assume such, but it was just a bad time in general. We don’t know exactly how old Trixie and Alice (the two whale sharks that passed away then) were, but it’s likely they were both close to or just over 20. Taroko’s passing was even more unexpected as he was younger, he and Yushan had been brought in around 2007 while the others were brought in prior to 2005 when the facility opened.
Same, I can confirm two in Osaka June 13 this year.
This isn't the best picture, but you can see both sharks and the mola mola:
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Trixie passed in 2020 and Alice in 2021.
I found this interesting article here on the deaths of Norton and Ralph that may be interesting to those who follow this thread:
Georgia aquarium probes second whale shark death
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Ah yeah, it must have been late 2021 though, as I recall Alice was still there when I went in the summer of that year. I remember being told of the three 2020 deaths by a friend of mine who worked there while I visited, and how sad she was. Then later hearing of Alice also passing was heartbreaking, I know everyone who worked there was crushed.
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An article says that Churaumi Aquarium keeps only Jinta, the male, in the main tank because, in the past, Jinta bit a female’s fin and chased her when they were kept together. Because of this, the aquarium had to move the female to another tank.
After observing them separately, the staff found that both sharks were calmer when they were not together. This might be because males and females don’t swim together in the wild, or because adult males can become aggressive.
The female whale shark is now kept in a special sea pen near the aquarium. When she becomes mature, the aquarium plans to try artificial insemination with Jinta.
After observing them separately, the staff found that both sharks were calmer when they were not together. This might be because males and females don’t swim together in the wild, or because adult males can become aggressive.
The female whale shark is now kept in a special sea pen near the aquarium. When she becomes mature, the aquarium plans to try artificial insemination with Jinta.
captain alligator
Well-Known Member
Hakkeijima Sea Paradise once kept whale sharks, but they are no longer kept there. Hakkeijima Sea Paradise was once the only aquarium in East Japan that kept whale sharks.