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Fareed Khan / AP
Visitors surround the carcass of a whale shark in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb 9, 2012. People crowded around to put their hands on the massive shark, and families snapped their picture with it — ignoring the pungent smell as it began to rot.
Ashraf Khan of The Associated Press takes up the story:
KARACHI, Pakistan — Qasim Khan waged the unlikeliest of battles with Pakistani authorities Thursday over the right to charge hundreds of curious visitors 20 rupees (22 cents) each to see a roughly 40-foot whale shark he bought from a fisherman.
Khan is in the business of buying fish, albeit usually much smaller ones, and jumped at the chance on Tuesday to pay about $2,200 for the 20-ton behemoth, which was discovered dead in the Arabian Sea off the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.
Business was brisk Wednesday, as several thousand people paid to see the brown and white-spotted shark, which Khan set up under a cloth tent next to the harbor.
But police cracked down Thursday, saying fishery authorities had decided people should be allowed to see the shark for free. Khan resisted and hid his prize attraction under the giant piece of green cloth he had previously used as a tent.
Fareed Khan / AP
A boy peeks inside a tent where the carcass was being kept. One visitor, 9-year-old Fizza Umar, said "It was so huge! I wish I could take it home."
Shakil Adil / AP
A man sells tickets to people eager to see the shark.
The move sparked a comic game of cat and mouse between Khan and the police. They would order him to remove the cover, which he would do briefly before replacing it. Then the cycle would start over again.
Khan countered by saying he paid 200,000 rupees for it. "To recover my cost I am charging just 20 rupees per ticket, but the forsaken fishery authorities have deprived me of this fortune," he said. Read the full story.
Fareed Khan / AP
Some in the crowd were upset to see people climbing all over the shark. "This is sheer disrespect for animals," said 20-year-old nursing student Usman Zada.
Leave a Comment:
you know there gunna make there money, sick people! and still sale it at there fish markets no body could tell or smell the difference man thats a good investment im gunna get me a bear and fly down there
We cage healthy animals all over the US in the name of environmental awareness and charge people money to see them... they're called zoos - but this IS sad too.
I would pay .22 cents to see this thing
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone....
Were the Japanese contacted? They love anything with the name whale in it. Probably some type of delicacy.
Just like us Americans love our hotdogs, and all it's myesterious stuff that it's made out of.
As the carcass rots, it may become bloated with gases from the decomposing flesh. It may eventually explode if left alone. Will a kid be standing on it when that happens?
People will drive miles to see dead whales, paying money for the gas.
Now, imagine blowing up a whale in Oregon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tl2H3QzT0&feature=related
or having the thing blow up on its own (Tawian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aicIbUvE5tw
As for charging to see it, human nature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nuMehrmIK4&feature=related (dead Kraken scene in Pirates of the Caribbean.)
(Heck, we drove miles to see a live one when it was at the Newport Aquarium. And when the whales are running out in the Pacific, people pay to go out in boats to see them.)
Look at them defiling God's creation, his wonderful creature! Death to Pakistan! (for you dummies, that's sarcastic)
Sad, if you are going to hunt or fish and kill an animal use it for food or clothing! Is there no more respect for nature! What is this world coming to?
Sadly, what is this world coming to, but you have to look at the country that caught it. Would one expect anything different?
So tiger, do you wear nothing and eat nothing? How Amazing, what's your trick.
It was reported on Tuesday that the fish was sold for $14,000 dollars! That is a big drop in price from the original story. It was stated on this site the fish was sold almost immediately after getting it out of the water. How can a news story be that wrong?
Life is somthing indeed. What are they going to do when it rotts so bad they have to dispose of it. What do you. What do you do with a mega tone 40 foot fish????
How sad that these people think this is entertainment. Wait until this rotting fish starts to smell and sending out this foul odor all over there country. Oh wait, it already smells bad, how would these morons know the difference.
A taylor, I agree, jersey shore was starting to stink pretty bad.
thepunisher, now I agree with you
I'd give a $20 to see it....lots of good things are fishy
I was lucky enough to go snorkeling along side a whale shark in La Paz, Mexico in 2010. Wonderful experience, sad to see one on land. And yes, I paid a lot of money to go on the whale shark excursion.
Muslims they kill people at soccer games and over a dead fish. These are a depraived people.
This stuff happens because they have a false religion among them. Instead of criticizing and judging them we should be showing them the truth. Jesus!
Will jesus be teaching them spanish too?
whatever
humans?
Only in Packistan to charge to see a dead animal . I dont think the people there read national geographic .
Leroy, you are so off base. Pakis arn't the only ones charging to see dead animals. Here in America we charge a whole lot more than .22 cent to see dead animals, every been to a museum?
The entire story of how they captured this Whale Shark is very "fishy". If you have not read the original story from Tuesday google it and read. They followed this fish for 10 days and it just went unconcious or dead. The fish was illegally captured and possesed in my opinion. The Pakistani authorities should be fining the fishing boat that brought the fish in. Whale Sharks do not eat typical fishing bait so it was not caught by hook and line or even a net. I believe it was harrassed and struck by the boat until it "died". These are magnificent creatures that should be protected around the world. They are easy to hunt at times due to feeding near the surface. They are struck by boats accidentally quite frequently while near the surface. Luckily they are large enough to shake off being struck many times but not if harassed for 10days.
they're gonna need a lot of 60 gallon drums of masengil to get rid of THAT smell
Hmmmm? Dead Sharks on display, thousands of people watching, ....Where Pakistan?...naaaaw....USA Shark Hunters on US television...ring any bells folks
Government wants to make the money, just encase the USA decides to cut off their allowance.
Ernest Hemingway would cringe... Old Man and the Sea.
Hey Dad.....Punjab's father bought him a huge rotting fish.......how come we can't have one?
Those of you trying to make fun of America and the people of America, please, get the hell out of our country
Kenny what's your point. Comedians and hollywood do it all the time. Are you going to petition them to be thrown out of the country? Americans are funny, they say and do a lot of funny things. Ever watch a dumb reality tv show? How about America's funniest videos? Now why do you think they are so popular, because they are about funny Americans.
You won't get any takers Kenny4. Folks (anyone living in America, including immigrants) have it too easy. If these posts were coming out of (pick a country) the posters would be hunted down and their whole family would be killed.