It is with a heavy heart that we report that one of Atlanta’s most beloved residents, Taroko the whale shark, has passed away at the Georgia Aquarium.
The Georgia Aquarium announced on a post on Instagram on August 21st, 2025,
It is with sadness we share that male whale shark, Taroko, has passed away. Our team noticed changes in his appetite and behavior through wellness monitoring, and his overall condition was deteriorating despite all veterinary and care interventions. Last night, we made the humane decision to euthanize. Taroko showed more than 43 million people the majesty of his species over the nearly two decades he lived here. He also contributed a wealth of data and information about whale shark biology, health, and behavior. Taroko came to Atlanta in 2007 from Taiwan where he was rescued from a seafood market. A necropsy will be performed to try to understand more about his health condition. Our other male whale shark, Yushan, is doing well and our focus remains on his wellbeing. Caring for whale sharks is an immense honor and undertaking – we were privileged to know Taroko for so long and share him with all of you. Taroko was named for the Taiwanese national park that is beautiful and larger than life, and he will always be that to us.
Currently, we don’t have any more details than this. As we learn more about Taroko’s condition, we’ll share with you. Our hearts are with all those touched by the majesty of the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium. Rest in peace, Taroko.
We would love to answer some of the questions we’ve seen about the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium. Keep scrolling for answers to all of your questions about Taroko’s (and his brother, Yushan’s) lives at the GA Aquarium.
How did the Georgia Aquarium acquire their whale sharks? And why didn’t they let them go back to the ocean?
The whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium were rescued from a Taiwanese fish market two decades ago.
The Georgia Aquarium is dedicated to rehabilitation and releasing animals back into the wild whenever possible. Whale Sharks are considered “endangered” by the IUCN Red List. The whale sharks rescued by the Georgia Aquarium were not able to be released back into the ocean.
But the aquarium has helped numerous other whale sharks back into the wild.
According to Simple About Things,
One notable example involved the rescue of a juvenile whale shark that had become entangled in fishing gear. The Aquarium’s team worked tirelessly to free the animal, treat its injuries, and monitor its recovery. After several months of rehabilitation, the whale shark was successfully released back into the wild.
Are the whale sharks in a big enough tank?
The tank these gentle giants have been kept in over the years, Ocean Voyager, is a massive 6.3 million-gallon habitat that was built specifically for whale sharks.
Of course, nothing compares to the open ocean, but for the abilities of the Georgia Aquarium, the whale sharks (which are fish, not whales) are well cared for and have plenty of room.
If you’d like to learn more about the Georgia Aquarium or their conservation projects, you can visit their website here.