What seeing a whale shark taught me about zoos

I was uneasy about seeing this immense creature being kept in a confined space, but realised that we city-dwellers do need zoos and aquariums.

- Danson Cheong Deputy Head, Audience Lab (New Audience)

There is a Kenyan legend that describes the thrill of seeing a whale shark.

It goes that God was so delighted after he created the fish, he had angels scatter gold and silver coins on its back - which explains how whale sharks came to have their distinctive spots.

I had a taste of that divine delight when I visited the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in October.

The aquarium, on Japan's Okinawa island, is home to Jinta, an almost 9m-long whale shark.

Housed in the aquarium's centrepiece Kuroshio Sea tank, Jinta dwarfed all his tank mates, which included giant groupers and manta rays - heavyweights in their own right.

In the wild, whale sharks can grow up to 12m. They are the largest species of fish in the sea, and have held a certain mystique for me since I first saw them while watching nature documentaries on television as a kid.

On screen, they seemed like the embodiment of a whole other universe beneath the waves - otherworldly and unknowable.

All that is to say I was really thrilled to see one in person.

Yet as I watched Jinta circle the tank, that initial sense of awe gave way to a gnawing unease.

Here was a creature built to range the vast and open ocean - was it right to keep him in a tank small enough to fit within the frame of a photograph?

At the heart of that uncomfortable question is the long-running debate about the ethics of zoos.

Proponents of zoos and aquariums say these institutions play a crucial role in educating people about the environment and animals.

They also say zoos help contribute to conservation because captive animals serve as backup populations for endangered or vulnerable species.

On the other hand, critics argue that zoos cannot replicate the complexity of natural habitats and that captivity causes animals great stress.