Environment

Injured whale shark looks for help from divers – VIDEO

Published

Wednesday, June 17, 2020 16:34

PHOTO: - Reuters

Video footage of a huge whale shark swimming toward a diving instructor while showing its tail that was caught in a rope has gone viral on the internet. The encounter took place near Koh Pha Ngan in the southern Surat Thani province last Saturday. A 3 metre long whale shark, injured by a rope tightening around its tail, swam toward the diving instructor apparently seeking help.

Many people dove into the water to record videos and tried to help the animal, but none were successful as their knives were not long enough to cut the thick nylon rope. Surat Tani’s provincial governor collaborated with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, asking them to send marine life experts to help the whale shark.

Whale sharks are protected under Thailand’s wildlife conservation and have importance for marine resources. They are slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet sharks and the largest known fish species. The largest confirmed individual was 18.8 metres long. The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, notably being by far the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

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Jack Burton

Jack Burton is an American writer, broadcaster, linguist and journalist who has lived in Asia since 1987. A native of the state of Georgia, he attended the The University of Georgia's Henry Grady School of Journalism, which hands out journalism's prestigious Peabody Awards. His works have appeared in The China Post, The South China Morning Post, The International Herald Tribune and many magazines throughout Asia and the world. He is fluent in Mandarin and has appeared on television and radio for decades in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

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