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Whale shark photo wins SUBIOS Shoot-Out Contest 

A photograph of a whale shark by British photographer Alan James has won the Digital Shoot-out contest at SUBIOS  the Seychelles Underwater Festival .
Alan came to Seychelles specifically to add whale shark photos to his already impressive portfolio and was able to capture a series of impressive images on encounter trips organised by the MCSS.

Photography fans should visit Alan's web site by clicking here.

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If you find a detached tag

Please return it to MCSS as we may be able to download further information from it

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Indian Whale Shark Initiative Gathers Momentum

Diu, Gujarat, 22 September, 2004: 
The sleepy town of Diu awoke to the spectacle of a life-sized model of the whale shark, welcoming hundreds of school children to a day of fun near the ancient fort, which culminated in the Diu Municipal Council adopting Vhali, the whale shark as the city mascot.

  The city of Porbandar pioneered this gesture on 23 May when thousands of people took a public pledge to protect the whale shark and the president of the city municipal council, Mrs. Jeeviben Shiyal adopted the whale shark as the mascot for this year. Earlier, in another first, the popular religious leader Morari Bapu was appointed an ambassador for the whale shark and agreed to include it in his discourses on the Ramayana, drawing immense public response. This is the first time a religious leader has supported the cause of conservation.

  This day out with the whale shark was organized by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in association with the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE). The campaign to spread awareness about the world's largest fish is being spearheaded by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and its partner, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and is being supported by two major corporate houses with units in the state, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited and Tata Chemicals Limited.

  The 40 ft life-sized inflatable model of the world's largest fish is designed to be the backdrop for a series of street plays on the whale shark, which are a part of the campaign to give the people of Gujarat a feeling of pride for this fish. 'The inflatable model of the whale shark, christened Vhali, is an instant draw,' said Dhiresh Joshi, the Campaigns Manager for the Whale Shark Campaign. 'Both young and old are fascinated by its sheer size and many people find it hard to believe that a fish of these dimensions really exists in the waters off their own shores' added Joshi.

Sonata whale shark painting by students. Photo Wildlife Trust India

 The children expressed their feelings on a canvas which made up the sonata painting. 'A sonata painting is a work of art by the combined effort of individuals; this time it was on the whale shark theme and it was on a 5ft x6ft cloth. While the boys enjoyed the dart game, the sonata painting was dominated by girls', informed Joshi.

Dr Kamaliya, the president of the Diu Municipal Council then signed the certificate adopting the whale shark as the mascot of Diu . Commandant A.N. Chaudhari of the Coast Guard led the 1000 students and the officials present in a pledge to protect the whale shark and welcome the fish as a loved guest to the shores of Gujarat .

Volunteers from the CEE coordinated with the participating schools and managed the games. WTI aims to reach out to people in Gujarat through more such events and hit the bull's eye of  'Save the Whale Shark' as in the dart game through the active participation of people and the support of policy and decision makers.

 Article by Wildlife Trust India