Whale Shark In Tainan Canal Led Back To Sea

March 3, 2009

Release from: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A baby whale shark that had mistakenly swam into the Tainan Canal was successfully led back into the ocean yesterday, giving the authorities a headache while spectators and environmentalists cheered on the sidelines.

The 3-meters long whale shark was spotted at around 7 a.m. yesterday inside the canal. Firefighters and speedboats were deployed to the scene to observe its behavior.

The authorities tried in vain to chase the whale shark out of the canal, and by noon, large crowds of spectators had gotten word and were gathered around the spectacle.

In the afternoon, the authorities successfully led the whale shark back into the ocean by guiding it with fishing nets, media reports said.

This is the first time in the Tainan Canal's 86-year history that a whale shark has swam into it as well as the nation's first successful attempt to lead a whale shark back to safety with the use of fish nets, according to Assistant Professor Zhuang Shou-zheng of the National Taiwan Ocean University.

The whale shark probably swam up the canal by mistake while pursuing small fish or shrimp, Zhuang said.

The whale shark resides in tropical waters off Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and also in the South Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Oceans.