ISLAMABAD:
The journey of a whale shark from being a dead fish on the shore to becoming an item of national heritage is near completion. The preservation process has been completed as per schedule, while the authorities are in the process of completing the arrangements for its display.
The 40.1 feet long shark, weighing 15 tons, was found dead in the shallow waters off the Gadani coast in Balochistan in February and was transferred to the Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) in Islamabad.
After a seven-month process that included taxidermy (stuffing or mounting a dead animal’s hide) and treatment of its skeleton with chemicals, the shark has been “fully preserved for the next 500 years”, according to officials.
“We are in the process of preparing a tender for its display and have requested the relevant ministry and UNESCO for funds. Once the bidding process begins, funds will be released,” said PMNH Director General (DG) Muhammad Akhtar Javed.
According to PMNH Zoological Division Director Muhammad Rafique, the preservation cost around Rs600,000, and another Rs800,000 to Rs1 million are required for mounting and finishing.
“This is one of the largest whale sharks to have been found from the sea in the world. During preservation, we found that it was around 50 years old, which is the average age of the species,” said Rafique.
He added that the whale shark had died a natural death, as its stomach was completely empty.
“Once the funds come through, it will take approximately two months to complete the project. The museum aims to have the mammoth specimen up on display by the end of this year,” he said, adding that they plan to keep the fish in the museum in a marine environment.
Earlier, when it was found, officials from the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority had said that the whale shark of this size could easily fetch Rs1.5 million in the international market. The Chinese use its fins to make soup. The liver is also very expensive as the oil from it is used to make special medicines and lubricate the hulls of boats.
Around 30 whale sharks have been found dead in Pakistani waters in the past seven years, according to WWF Marine Biologist Moazam Khan.
Once work on the whale shark is complete, the museum will start preserving Saheli, said Rafique. Saheli was a 22-year-old elephant who died in Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad in May. Her heart failed after she was made to sit in an incorrect posture during illness.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2012.
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Would someone explain this to me, please?
"we found that it was around 50 years old, which is the average age of the species,” So they ALL live to be a hundred, do they??? What did he really say, or mean? Normal lifespan?
"He added that the whale shark had died a natural death, as its stomach was completely empty."
Sounds more like starvation to me. But I guess dying is the natural thing to do if your stomach is empty. I guess it means nobody actually killed it…. Fascinating topic, but poorly covered.