Delhi: Four years of perhaps the most successful animal campaign in India culminated last month with the celebration of a ‘day’ dedicated exclusively to the target species- the whale shark. An honour that has been conferred to no other species in this country, including the tiger, the ‘whale shark day’ was observed on November 27, in Porbandar, in the western Indian state of Gujarat where the internationally-acclaimed ‘whale shark campaign’ was organised.

On February, 2007, the government of Gujarat had declared Kartik Amas as the official ‘whale shark day’ or ‘Vhali Utsav’ in view of the popular sentiment about the fish, generated by the whale shark campaign. A joint venture of the Gujarat Forest Department, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and Wildlife Trust of India – International Fund for Animal Welfare (WTI-IFAW), the campaign had converted the species, whose existence was not known even to most people living near the shoreline frequented by it, into an icon. The fish is now ‘a daughter returning home to give birth,’ a belief perpetuated by the spiritual leader Morari Bapu, who launched the campaign in January 2004.

Fishermen, who in the past brutally hunted the whale shark for liver oil used in waterproofing boats and meat for export, began voluntary release of the fish accidentally trapped in their nets, within a year of the campaign’s launch. The trend continues despite the inevitable damage to nets during these rescues.

Among the campaign’s successes was the adoption of whale shark as a mascot by six towns in Gujarat including Porbandar and a non-coastal city, Ahmedabad, establishing the growing popularity of the species. The fish now has a fan following even among young children, who flaunt their knowledge about its size and food habits.

“Whale shark is a huge fish that feeds on small fish and not on humans,” said a student attending the ‘whale shark day’ festivities that began with a colourful rally.

“The campaign has truly converted the whale shark into the second pride of Gujarat after the Asiatic lion,” asserts Dhiresh Joshi, Coordinator, WTI.

The star attraction of the ‘2008 Vhali Utsav’ was a life-sized inflatable model of Vhali (‘the dear one’), as the whale shark is locally called. The 40-feet long inflatable that has been used as the campaign’s flagship model led the procession, mounted on a camel cart. Hundreds of students, dressed in whale shark patterned t-shirts and waving whale shark flags, followed, shouting slogans in support of the world’s largest fish. Fishermen, government and police officials, NGO representatives, marine experts as well as international film makers among others joined the children in the revelry.

The celebrations also included a street play that emphasized the status of the whale shark as the daughter of the fishermen community, portraying the unfortunate past and the thriving present of whale sharks. The Forest Department provided compensation cheques to fishermen who have lost their nets while releasing trapped whale sharks, an initiative to encourage more voluntary releases. Miniature model whale shark mementoes were also given to several people who have contributed to whale shark conservation through its rescue and release.

Dinesh Goswami, President, Prakriti Parivar Trust, Kodinar who has carried out numerous whale shark rescues in Gujarat was among the people awarded the memento. “I was only a labourer when I started whale shark rescue after learning about its protected status several years ago. Later I came to know of the whale shark campaign during an event in Veraval. Since then, I have been in touch with Dhiresh Ji and have been helping him with his work. Till date I have personally attended to about 26 rescues in Sutrapada and Veraval among other areas. I give the credit to all these rescues to the fishermen who inform my organisation about the trapped whale sharks; without them none of this work could be done,” he says.

The event also saw the launch of the report “Turning the Tide” which captures the efforts, as well as the local and international successes of the whale shark campaign.

Evidently, the tide has turned for the whale shark in the shores of Gujarat. Attempting to extend this success story, the Gujarat Forest Department, TCL and WTI-IFAW are now venturing into scientific research of whale shark conservation in a hope to enhance chances of survival of this species. The study also aims to promote whale shark tourism to benefit the local coastal communities which have played and will continue to play a major role in the long-term conservation of the whale shark.

Learn more about Whale Shark Campaign

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