As the fishermen tried to help the shark, it kept hitting them with its giant tail.
A group of fishermen from Kerala are being hailed online after a video emerged of them releasing an endangered whale shark that they had trapped.
In a video that’s going viral, the group of men aboard a fishing vessel are seen struggling to try get the shark under control before releasing it. The video shows the men being struck by the shark’s huge tail multiple times. The men finally manage to lift the shark and drop it into the sea.
The incident reportedly involved fishermen from the Puthiyappa fishing harbour in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Fishermen from Kozhikode, #Kerala release an Endangered #WhaleShark. Respect! We should celebrate their actions. Please RT! Make them Heroes!@dhanyarajendran @Advaidism @jamewils @vivek4wild @wti_org_india @BittuSahgal @SanctuaryAsia @SwatiWild @GargiRawat @bahardutt @rickykej pic.twitter.com/uRz9eqPgG9
— InSeason Fish (@InSeasonFish) January 28, 2020
Whale sharks, the largest of the sharks, is an endangered species and is often a victim of bycatch, with adult sharks often getting caught and killed in fishing nets. The Kerala fishermen’s attempts to ensure it was safely returned to the sea is therefore unique.
People lauded them for their great gesture and thanked them:
Wow!
A #whaleshark is the largest known extant fish species and is #endangered.Well done, guys!! https://t.co/cBnVtVNULF
— Arati Kumar-Rao (@AratiKumarRao) January 28, 2020
Good work!! Hope the #shark is well after all the work trying to release it https://t.co/j5bAnMGiqo
— SharkNewz (@SharkNewz) January 28, 2020
Heroes with Conscience. True environmental warriors these #KozhikodeFisherman are and to all the #fisherman who does these kind of things. You guys are true heroes. #WhaleShark https://t.co/nCE7Lmdhnm
— Karthik Vijayan (@iamkarthikvjn) January 28, 2020
Not all heroes wear capes #fishermen #kerala #whaleshark #india https://t.co/NwFa5NsrwU
— Jonathan Emmett (@Jonathan_Em8) January 28, 2020
Was wondering how the fish would get out of the rope they used to carry it. Amazing critical thinking there https://t.co/eiXk2gRdGL
— visithra manikam (@visithra) January 28, 2020
So glad to see the effort made to help the creature live….
— Meghna Girish (@megirish2001) January 29, 2020
Wonderful. Salutes to the fishermen
— Kanwar B Singh (@KB1997_) January 28, 2020
Fabulous! They are the true keepers of our planet!
— Pervin Sanghvi (@pervinsanghvi) January 28, 2020
#Kerala fishermen are always our undisputed heros ..much love and high regards…🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
— James Joseph (@hiiamjj) January 29, 2020
The whale shark is the largest known extant fish species, but is not known to attack human beings. They feed on plankton and small fishes and are found in open waters of the tropical oceans. Adults whale sharks grow up to 60-feet in length.
