Whale shark washed ashore alive, wildlife officials release it back in sea

MADURAI: Four days after a dead mammoth female whale shark weighing 3.5 tonnes was washed ashore at Pamban South beach, a juvenile female whale shark was washed ashore alive at Vedhalai beach in Ramanathapuram district on Saturday evening. Quickly springing to action, wildlife officials from Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park rescued the shark releasing it back in the sea.

Around 6 pm, local fishermen at Vedhalai found a big fish at the beach struggling for life and informed wildlife officials at GoMMNP.

The wildlife team headed by Mandapam Forest Range Officer, S Sathish rushed to the spot and assessed the situation. The whale shark was a smaller one weighing roughly 100 kilograms and 10-feet-long.


The water in the beach was shallow and the fish was struggling to swim back. Sensing the situation, a private country boat was hired for rescue. The shark was secured with ropes and safely pulled back to sea. “In one hour’s time, we released it 2 kilometers away from the shore and it immediately swam away. We are optimistic that it swims back to sea and lives”, Sathish said.

Few weeks ago, the department released an injured dolphin back to sea but it did not survive.

Protected under schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act of the country and listed in endangered species under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whale shark is one of the shark species found in Gulf of Mannar Marine eco-sphere. “Seasoned fishermen say that this is a season when wind changes its course and washing ashore of marine mammals happens. But whale sharks washing ashore frequently is a worrying scenario”, Sathish added.

On May 7 this year, a whale shark weighing more than 350 kgs was found dead at Kunthukal beach.