Atlanta
(2007-05-25)
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Officials in Taiwan have approved permits to ship the two animals to the aquarium. Now, it's down to the logistics of when and how the whale sharks will be moved.
Aquarium president Jeff Swanagan hopes that the new animals will both be male pre-teens. He says that Ralph's death hasn't deterred the aquarium from seeking more whale sharks.
SWANAGAN: The foremost drive for us is the need to study these animals in our science hat, to understand. Because so little is known about whale sharks.
Ralph was one of four whale sharks that the aquarium acquired in 2005. He died in January from an inflammation of the stomach lining, caused by ulcers. He was also found to have perforations in his stomach, possibly caused by force-feeding.
Since Ralph's death, the aquarium has refined its method of force-feeding.
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