A baby Arabian carpet shark is transferred to the Persian Gulf waters during a conservation project by the Atlantis Hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in the aquarium into the open sea as part of an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The baby sharks, bred at a gargantuan luxury resort on Dubai's artificial palm-shaped island, had never before encountered the open sea.
But on Thursday, the tiny carpet sharks were jolted out of their warm pools at the flashy Atlantis Hotel aquarium to travel farther than they ever have in their two years of existence. A team of Dubai conservationists gingerly caught the sharks with nets and moved them into oxidized tanks in a Ford pick-up truck.
Soon, the baby sharks were on the move. The specialists plopped them into big plastic bags and carried their squirming bodies over the white sandy beach of the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, a short drive from the hotel. For the past few years, the hotel's aquarium has sought to contribute to the conservation of native marine species by breeding honeycomb stingray and brown Arabian carpet sharks before releasing them into the wild, rich with coral reefs and mangroves.
The team stood shin-deep in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, surrounded by the small and slowly circling sharks. The creatures are harmless to humans, preferring a diet of snake eels, shrimps, crabs and squid.
For a few minutes, many of the sharks appeared spooked, staying close to the shore, before venturing into their vast new home.
An employee catches a baby Arabian carpet shark as part of a conservation project, at the fish quarantine facilities of the Atlantis Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in the aquarium into the open sea as part of an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
An Arabian carpet shark's egg is seen at the fish quarantine facilities of the Atlantis Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in the aquarium into the open sea as part of an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A baby Arabian carpet shark is measured as part of a conservation project, at the fish quarantine facilities of the Atlantis Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in aquariums into the open sea as part of an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
Arabian carpet sharks eggs are being hatched at the fish quarantine facilities of the Atlantis Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in aquariums into the open sea as part of an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A stingray is being transferred out of a water tank as part of a conservation project by the Atlantis Hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A stingray is being transferred to the Persian Gulf waters as part of a conservation project by the Atlantis Hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A baby Arabian carpet shark is transferred to the Persian Gulf waters during a conservation project by the Atlantis Hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks that were bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A baby Arabian carpet shark is transferred out of a water tank during a conservations project, at the fish quarantine facilities of the Atlantis Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks that were bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
A baby Arabian carpet shark is released into Persian Gulf waters during a conservation project by the Atlantis hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks that were bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
An Arabian carpet shark swims away after being released into Persian Gulf waters during a project by the Atlantis Hotel, at the The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A team of conservationists are releasing baby sharks that were bred in aquariums into the open sea in an effort to contribute to the conservation of native marine species in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press