Atlanta — The whale sharks are kings of the 20-million-litre tank, their presence palpable even before they emerge from the murky darkness like massive star cruisers in a science fiction film.
But once visitors to the new Georgia Aquarium have seen Ralph and Norton — the only whale sharks on display outside of Asia — they will still have at least 99,998 more fish to go. When the aquarium opens next Wednesday, it will become the world's largest by virtually all major standards of the industry.
It was bankrolled almost exclusively by a $200-million gift from Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus. “It's going to be the most unique aquarium in the world,” said Marcus, 76. The aquarium will also be the centrepiece of a downtown Atlanta revival aimed at drawing millions more visitors to the city each year. The aquarium is a neighbour to Centennial Olympic Park and lies across the street from the CNN Center and the Georgia Dome. In 2007, a new World of Coca-Cola museum is expected to open next door. The city also is a finalist for NASCAR's hall of fame, which would be located on what is now a parking lot near the other attractions.
Shaped like an abstract cruise ship looming over the Olympic park, the aquarium is expected to attract as many as two million visitors in its first year.
The aquarium was designed to hold 30 million litres of water and be home to more than 100,000 fish. By comparison, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago — the largest indoor aquarium in the U.S. for decades — has 19 million litres and about 20,000 fish.
The Atlanta aquarium's pair of juvenile whale sharks — characterized by their streamlined bodies and depressed, broad and flattened heads — could grow to more than 12 metres long, giving visitors a rare glimpse at the world's largest fish. At the time they arrived at the aquarium in June from Taiwan, one was measured at about five metres and the other at four metres. Also featured will be five beluga whales, two of them rescued from an amusement park in Mexico, in a three-million-litre tank.
And the attraction will be more than just a huge aquarium. There's a “4-D” movie theatre, which shows movies with 3-D animation and other special effects, and a banquet hall that can serve a sit-down dinner for up to 1,100 people catered by a company owned by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.
Marcus, who became a billionaire after co-founding Home Depot in 1979 with current Atlanta Falcons football franchise owner Arthur Blank Jr., said the aquarium is a $200-million thank-you note to the city of Atlanta and state of Georgia. “I have what I have today because of the people in this state,” he said.
But not everyone is happy. A handful of animal rights groups protested the plan to display whale sharks, saying the giant animals are more likely to die young in captivity. Aquarium officials and some independent biologists say those fears are based on old statistics and say the aquarium's whale sharks were destined to become seafood when they were acquired.
Some Atlanta-area residents are complaining about the ticket prices and lack of a family pass. For a family of five, one-day general admission would run over $115. Marcus said he knew Home Depot would take off when he learned customers were driving nearly two hours from Athens, Ga., to his first store in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta. He said he will use a similar standard to determine whether his aquarium is a success.
“I'll know it's successful when we find out people are coming from all over the United States and groups are coming from other countries,” he said. “When we see them coming here, then we'll know we were right.”
Georgia Aquarium: 225 Baker St.; 404-581-4000; www.georgiaaquarium.org.
Associated Press
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