Vhali- The Whale Shark at Ahmedabad World Environment Day Fest
Ahmedabad, June 5, 2014: Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is participating in the biggest and longest environment festival of Gujarat – the Ahmedabad World Environment Day Festival 2014. Organised by World Around You
(WAY) with the support of United Nation Education Program (UNDP), WTI as the conservation partner is helping spread awareness about the whale shark in the eight-day long conservation festival in heart of Gujarat.
The centre of attraction for the on roll fest is WTI’s Vhali- the whale shark. It is a 40 feet by 10 feet life size inflatable of the whale shark which is travelling around in Ahmedabad from June 1 to June 8. This year’s theme for the fest is ‘Raise your voice, not sea level’ and as the name suggests it focuses on the impact of climate change on marine environment.
Volunteers from WAY on stage with Vhalo helping spread the message about whale shark conservation
Photo: Farrukha Husenkha / WTI
Everyday there is a whale shark show at different venues. Skit by WAY volunteers spreads awareness about marine environment and how organisations like WTI are working for its conservation by joining hands with government, local communities and multinational companies.
The concept of bringing a life size inflatable to a non coastal region like Ahemdabad is to sensitise those who are away from the coast of Gujarat and know very little about the whale shark. Seeing such a huge model triggers a sense of curiosity amongst the people and helps act as an effective awareness tool for spreading the conservation message about the world’s biggest fish.
The whale shark is also known as the gentle giant for the fact that it is a filter feeder which means, it strains tiny food like plankton from ocean water and is completely harmless to human beings.
