BOHOL's Whale Shark Feeding is an ECOLOGICAL TRAP!!! WHAT A SHAME!!!
Bohol is known to be one of the most rich islands in the country of Philippines in terms of natural attractions and resources. The province takes pride in its pristine beaches, rich marine life, and astounding geological formations. Bohol is already making its name internationally by the symmetrical mounds of about 1,200 to 1,700 spread over 50 kilometers known as Chocolate Hills and the tiniest primate, tarsier. But recently, just this November 2019, a shameful video was posted on social media that gathered mixed reactions from "Bol-anons". This is allegedly a joint project between the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lila, Bohol and a private investor. A few were showing support as to what they seem can be very beneficial to aid the town's tourism industry and in which would give jobs to many residents in the said town. But a lot were furious and alarmed. Most of which are from various environmental organizations across the country. And I for one is terribly ashamed for this desperate ecological trapping of these endangered species!
Many of those people have little to no knowledge about the ecological roles of these whale sharks and they always use the card, "Oslob has been doing it for years, why won't you stop them first or why can't we do the same!"! Oslob, one of the provinces of the island of Cebu, has turned its municipality into a major hub of tourism through luring the whale sharks and milking money out from the tourists' pockets! Several agencies had already been fighting against these feeding and interactions but whether it has not stopped yet or is soon to stop, Bol-anons should not be mirroring mistakes from what others did. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had already interfered and said that the whale shark feeding in Oslob is an unsustainable tourism industry. In simpler words, it will only last till it's good, either these species will die or the ones milking money will no longer have sufficient baits to feed these now very dependent helpless whale sharks! Do you now see the problem? Still NO? Please continue.
Last December 23, 2019, an Executive Order (EO 75) had been signed ordering the elected Mayor of Lila Bohol, Hon. Jed Piollo, to suspend the whale shark interaction in his town. But the fight does not end there, as there will be legislation to be drafted in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Department of Tourism for the new tourism activity to be conducted in accordance with existing laws and marine conservation policies. Meaning, politics may oversee the issue and let Lila perform the exploitation that is obviously hazardous to an ecological level.
Meanwhile, the chief of SeaWorld and Nature Park, Mr. Greg Jala, is expressing willingness to shut down the operations. However, Jala gave a statement assuring the public that the said operations started with the approval of the Lila LGU through the town’s Sangguniang Bayan under Piollo and also the town’s former mayor Regina Salazar. But the investigation says otherwise. It is stemmed from a complaint which was raised by "Kahugpungan sa Bol-anon Guides" allegedly said that there is no ordinance or resolution that would have served as guidelines for the conduct of the whale-shark interaction. See? Some dirty game exploiting these endangered species! Even these educated people from the position seem to be okay with the exploitation to give jobs to its residents. It was according to Jala, that this whale shark interaction has generated employment for 65 people and that he emphasized that the interaction was to bring good to the town of Lila!
Some facts for you to know!!!
There are several ways to educate people about how truly hazardous to the ecological balance feeding these whale shark is and they were given enough news, articles and posts for this. But people chose to be blind and continue with their beliefs that everything is indeed just politics! Well, here are simplified facts that you should be sharing to your friends.
1. Whale sharks are endangered species! And it may surprise you, this is no longer a fresh news.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, whale sharks are an endangered species as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is considered a protected species through the Fisheries Administrative Order 193 (1998) and the Philippine Fisheries Code.
2. IT DOES AFFECT THEIR MATING PROCESS!!!
Setting an ecological trap would mean disrupting their migrating patterns. That being said, most of them would stay where they are being fed and would forget about mating. A great example is Oslob. Most of the whale sharks lured to feeding for tourism interaction are juvenile males that stay in the area for a couple of months every year. If this will continue, they will no longer reproduce. Now, let us do the math. So if two minus one is one, then time will come that the future generation will no longer see the said species!
3. We are training them to get killed!
Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia are a few countries which practices legal hunting and poaching of whale sharks. If indeed these whale sharks continue to migrate they would somehow be seen in the waters of Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. And since they have already associated boats and humans as source of food, they are now easy to catch! Poor whale sharks! And oh! Let us add, if they happen to swim around the areas of the West Philippines Seas where a number of Chinese vessels can be found, they would be something to be caught! And again, we let that happen. We trained them to get killed!
4. NEGATIVE EFFECTS to Marine Eco-system!!!
I have read an article in which they monitored certain whale sharks for study and they found out that these species dive in the deepest depths for cleaning! While we humans lure them for interaction, milk money and make an ecological trap, their biological activities and processes are now disturbed! In the long run, it will cause them to be more susceptible to infections, diseases and stresses! Again, we humans are killing them!
5. INSUFFICIENT NUTRIENTS
Being fed makes them dependent. They are no longer wild hunting their various food intake which means insufficient nutrients gained by these poor mammals! Again, in the long run this malpractice will weaken their body and die!
6. Lastly, a very important information! WE CAN STILL ENCOUNTER THEM ON THEIR NATURAL HABITAT WITHOUT TRAPPING THEM!
Yes, we can still see these huge yet gentle mammals. There is a sustainable way to using these mammals for tourism industry. And that is to see them on their natural migrating season. All you have to do is ask the properly educated individuals as to where and when these mammals can be seen across the country. Plan ahead and be very patient. After all, we are all creatures of God. We, humans, may be on top of the line and are the most rational brute, but we do not have the rights to go beyond what is due to us. We are only stewards on this planet. Let us not destroy more of what's left in our own planet, our own home.
References:
An Article from Bohol Divers Club
A statement against feeding Whale shark by Greenpeace Philippines
A news article from The Bohol Chronicles
This has been @nikkabomb saying, "Let us not destroy more of what's left in our own planet, our own home."
Nikka Ganzan, the author
I was destined to be a successful civil engineer but my heart belongs to literature. And if I have learnt something from the past years of struggles, it is maybe this - "Sometimes a leap of faith is what you need in order to find happiness. Because if you are not to become a happy person, then what's the purpose of life then?".
I tried working in an industry with the use of my maximum skills in my chosen field and I was earning big (bigger than what I expected), yet I was not happy. In between those times, I found deeper and stronger interest in my first and second love - writing and photography.
And so here I am, in my little corner in the blockchain. I hope you had a good read and check out more here ---> @nikkabomb. Lovelots.