A rare whale shark that was a hotel attraction in Dubai has been returned to the wild, the resort said last Thursday, following an international campaign against the captivity.

Sammy, a freckled whale shark that is an internationally protected species, had been kept inside a lobby aquarium at Dubai's upscale Atlantis resort since September 2008.

The 4.2 metre female was returned to the Gulf waters where it had been "rescued", said the hotel, where guests pay up to $7,500 a night for a top suite.

The shark was a top crowd puller, but also attracted unwelcome publicity for the hotel, after animal rights groups began a worldwide campaign to free Sammy.

A 'Free Sammy' Facebook campaign attracted more than 26,000 members.

The hotel announcement came as a 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meets in nearby Qatar.

Atlantis said the shark had been tagged for monitoring and research.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.