In a first of its kind for a wildlife campaign in India, a life-sized model of a whale shark was inflated on the premises of Tata Chemicals drawing huge crowds that watched a street play on the protection of the world's largest fish with rapt attention.

The campaign to spread awareness about the world's largest fish, which was till recently being brutally slaughtered along the Gujarat coast for export, is being spearheaded by the Wildlife Trust of India and its partner, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, is actively supported by Tata Chemicals Limited.

The 40-ft model of the whale shark, which was first displayed in the town of Mithapur proved to be an instant crowd puller. Its sheer size generated enormous excitement and awe in a community which had never seen a model of this magnitude before. Children and parents alike were drawn to the inflatable, trying to touch and feel it. The inflatable was designed to be the backdrop for a series of street plays on the species, which are a part of the campaign to give the people of Gujarat a feeling of pride for this fish.

The campaign against the killing of whale shark, launched in February by the Wildlife Trust of India and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, has started making waves in the coastal towns of the western Indian state of Gujarat. The first ripples appeared with the launch of a street play with a message on protecting the shark on the International Theatre Day at Mithapur, Gujarat, on March 27. The first show of the play was held on TCL's Mithapur premises. The performers traveled along the coast of Gujarat and staged 16 performances in 12 towns. The group carried the play through major fishing harbours and ports, such as Beyt Dwarka, Somnath, Veraval and Okha. The series of performances culminated at Diu on April 2.

The second phase of this campaign took off at TCL Mithapur in April with the 40 ft inflatable model of the whale shark in the background. The street plays were conducted at various places along the coast of Gujarat with the life-sized model drawing huge crowds.

The play was conceptualised to spread awareness and build sensitivity among the fishing community. The story touched popular sentiment because it carried forth the message of the immensely popular spiritual leader, Morari Bapu who formally launched the campaign in Gujarat as an ambassador for the whale shark. In his address at the launch of the campaign, he likened the shark visiting the shores of Gujarat to a daughter visiting her parents and said, "It is indeed sad that fishermen hunt this gentle giant instead of protecting it and creating an environment conducive for it to breed."

The campaign to save the whale shark is actively supported by Tata Chemicals, who have been instrumental in providing financial and infrastructural assistance to the campaign. Said PR Menon, Managing Director, TCL, "The Tata Group has always been on the forefront, when it comes to caring for the environment. Our thrust has been to sensitise people and create an awareness about these endangered species."

B Sudhakar, Head, Corporate HR and Communications, further added, "TCL strongly believes that maintaining bio-diversity is as important as producing quality products. While improving the quality of life of the local community and maintaining bio-diversity standards at the same time, TCL truly is a company that cares."

True to this image, Vivek Talwar, Head-HR, Mithapur Works, and his team of enthusiastic conservationists at Tata Chemicals have provided unfailing support in financing and equipping the campaign. Their continued support for the campaign would enable WTI's message of conservation to reach the masses to generate awareness and sensitivity about this endangered fish in dire need of protection.

About the whale shark
The whale shark was upgraded to Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act in May 2001. Although poaching has greatly reduced subsequent to this, legal protection is not enough. It is extremely difficult to continuously patrol the nearly 1,600-km Gujarat coastline, which constitutes one-third of India's coastline. Official figures reveal that before 2001, over 150 whale sharks were poached along the Gujarat coast. Independent figures however put this number at 500. This was particularly alarming because the Whale Shark does not attain sexual maturity before the age of 30 years, and poaching at this rate would pose a serious threat to its breeding and in turn upset the fragile marine ecosystem. Building awareness among the locals about this fish was thus perceived as the key to protecting this species.