CEBU CITY (Updated) – Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she was alarmed by the photos published on Facebook of Boljoon residents mistreating a whale shark.
One picture showed a girl riding on the back of a tuki, a local name for whale shark.
Capitol said the photos showed a complete lack of information on how to handle the creatures, known to be the biggest fish in the world.
She said there’s a need to strengthen the public information campaign on the part of the mayors.
The issue was also taken up during the department heads’ meeting Monday.
Garcia said an investigation showed that the incident did not happen in Oslob but in Barangay Granada, Boljoon.
“We have already made our inquiries and Mayor Ronald Guaren will be submitting his own report. It seems that this is one of the butandings that was caught in a fish net and brought by the fishermen to the shallow part of Barangay Granada,” she told reporters.
The good thing about it, she said, is that the butanding was released and sent back to sea.
She said the Province is coming up with guidelines on how to handle the butanding to guide the Municipality of Oslob, tourists and fisherfolk.
It is in Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob where the whale sharks were seen. The whale shark in the picture had strayed. The incident was an isolated case, Garcia said.
Garcia said on the part of Oslob, the residents are already aware about the proper way to handle the butandings.
She said the town has passed an ordinance prohibiting tourists and locals from touching the whale sharks.
Outrage
The photos have sparked outrage among Facebook users.
One commenter named Boboi Costas said, "This is what happens when you feed whale sharks. They develop a certain familiarity with the host surroundings. Before they know it, they are stranded, and to the ignorance of the coastal community, suffer!"
Mitos Ocaba Foster said, "This is seriously unacceptable. The helpless creature is so unlucky to be in the hands of stupid and ignorant people."
Juv Neri said, "Oh man! The government needs to really focus on educating more the ignorant than the illiterate. This can't go on," referring to a photo showing a woman and some children touching and hugging the whale shark.
Olivia Tano said, "I've been watching these pics, posting and reading comments about this matter and I do not know what to feel anymore especially to this girl who is on top of the whale shark! I was angry but now, I pity you! You are now famous but sad to say, in a negative way! People know your name and know what you did!"
But contrary to what others said, False Pretense believed "the man (fisherman) should be the one to be blamed on this stupidity because he allowed the girl to stand over the whale shark."
Sam Du backed Pretense’s statement, saying, "I don't think it's the girl's fault, she may not know that what she is doing is harassing the animal. To be blamed are the local fishermen since they 'take care' of the butandings."
Jaime Brodeth also sent a message to the Good Earth, Sun.Star website's environment section at blogs.sunstar.com.ph/goodearth, saying, "This whale shark ride is now on Facebook. Purportedly taken in Oslob, this outrage has to stop ASAP. Please help us in reaching to the authorities who can act on this the soonest.”
Glenn Ochate Amador also urged people to stop abusing the wildlife. "We can get money from eco-tourism but not this way.”
For the information of many avid readers of this travel blog, a viral photo of a girl standing on top of a whale shark, locally known as “Butanding” (Tagalog) and “Tuki” (Visayan), in Boljoon (NOT Oslob) in Cebu, has been the topic on social networking websites recently. Boljoon and Oslob are two different municipalities but are next to each other. It is highly possible that some Butanding, who used to dwell in the waters near Oslob, decided to move to another place because they no longer eat “naturally”. Because it is one of the few times the people in Boljoon see this kind of creature, the residents near the shore decided to touch the stranded fish – one curious woman tried to use the animal as a “surfboard”. Now, the photos have caused an online outrage.
Girl standing on top of a Whale Shark
Many of those who saw the maltreatment of the Whale Shark on Facebook and Twitter are furious over the girl standing on top of the whale shark. They say it’s very cruel and hurtful to these gentle fishes. Later on, several photos surfaced on the internet showing a 3/31/2012, which signifies March 31, 2012, taken at about 7:30 in the morning.
Woman touching the back of the Butanding
Kids enjoying the Butanding
Adults and Kids holding the Whale Shark
Those who do not know the real score about this issue is making things worse by condemning the girl and the locals of what they did. Read on, to know more about the matter.
Before we conclude, let us all understand everything so we get all the facts right. If you think the information is incorrect, you can simply add a comment below so the administrator can revise the info as time goes by.
The “Whale Shark Watching and Feeding” in Cebu became a popular activity early this year after foreigners discovered that Butanding’s exists in the southern part of the island. The town of Oslob, a three-hour bus ride from Cebu City, is the first to take advantage of these gentle giants. Late last year, after several popular news and information sites shared photos of these Whale Sharks, the tourism of Oslob significantly went up. Before, only the old structures and beaches of Oslob are the main tourist attractions of the province until the discovery of the Butanding.
According to locals, they have already seen these “Tuki” for a long time but did not know it can give them money until recently. They used to swim with these gentle creatures while holding the its back. They feed them with shrimps and bring them to the shallow area so the other folks can see the Whale Shark up-close.
Today, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Oslob with the help of the Provincial Government is constantly safeguarding these Whale Sharks because it is income generating and it is the window to other tourist spots in the municipality.
In SoloFlightEd.com’s Whale Shark encounter last December 2011, he was only inches away from the creature and can easily touch them because nobody is watching him. Now that the LGU is constantly taking care of these large fishes, they impose a strict rule for everyone to follow.
Whale Shark Code of Conduct
- Do not attempt to touch, ride, or chase a Whale Shark
- Do not restrict normal movement or behavior of the Shark
- Maintain a minimum distance of 3 meters from the Whale Shark
- Do not undertake flash photography
- Do not use motorized-underwater diver propulsions
The viral photo of a girl riding the Butanding and locals ignorantly touching it taken in the nearby town of Boljoon, about two and a half hour-bus ride from the “Queen City of the South”, is a hot topic this warm summer season.
Happy to touch a Whale Shark
Rope tied on the tale of the Whale Shark
If you look closely on the images, the Butanding was tied in the tail with a rope – so the other people living nearby can see the huge fish – before they set it free. The shallow water near the shore is certainly not an area where this big animal is comfortable.
Efforts to educate the locals on how to deal with such situations are being organized by the concerned people. The local government of Oslob and Boljoon are now getting a lot of calls from worried authorities, who are knowledgeable on how to handle these creatures.
Many of the people in the town of Boljoon and Oslob, about 90 kilometers from the island’s main city, earn from agriculture and selling fishes. Only a few have the luxury of owning a camera, computer and other electronic devices such as TV and radio that will inform them of what is happening in their surroundings.
There are people living in these municipalities that can help in educating the residents, especially the fishermen, about the big no-no with these Whale Sharks. The problem is that we have to reach them if they do not know what is happening in their community. One of the fastest ways to let them know about our feelings towards these folks in the images above is to share these photos until it reaches the authorities. Many concerned groups are contacting the Provincial Government of Cebu and the Municipal Government of Oslob and Boljoon so the residents will be informed and future incidents will not happen.
Whale Shark (Butanding) maltreatment in Boljoon and Oslob | Philippines Travel Guide
Maltreatment of whale shark in Boljoon town alarms Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia | Sun.Star
Whale Shark (Butanding) maltreatment in Boljoon and Oslob
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