Whale watch

Campaigners and government agencies are determined to add the mesmerising Bryde's whale to the conserved species list

Creating Awareness

As part of the "I'm You" exhibition, which continues until Sunday at Hof Art Space, there's underwater footage of the serene upper Gulf of Thailand "taken" by Parfun who has her child, Im-aim, swimming by her side.

Parfun and Im-aim are Bryde's whales, creatures many don't realise exist on both sides of our coastal waters, and tagging them with cameras and satellite devices is just one of many measures taken by non-profit organisation ThaiWhales and Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center (Upper Gulf of Thailand) to research, raise awareness and promote knowledge about this marine mammal, which is one of the biggest species in the world.

Like all mammals, they are warm-blooded, breathe air into their lungs and feed their young with milk. The exhibition is called "I'm You", explained ThaiWhales founder Chankit Chamnivikaipong, famed cinematographer of movies and TV commercials, because it's trying to point out how these whales are just like us.

ThaiWhales was established back in 2011, but Chankit has had a love for animals since childhood, watching all animal-related films repeatedly. This led him to take up scuba diving more than 20 years ago, when he fell in love with the peaceful, friendly underwater world. One day his scuba diving instructor told him about an experience of seeing a whale around an island in Chumphon province, and although it was some time later before he got to see it himself, that was the beginning of his fervent fascination with whales.

"This animal is the biggest in the world," said Chankit. "They travel more widely than us. And once we realise that they are milk-fed just like us, it's not the feeling we have towards, say, a giant grouper, a shark or an elephant, although I like them very much, too."

Before that, Chankit always thought whales only lived somewhere exotic, like in Alaska or New Zealand. His scuba diving instructor's encounter, and later some accounts of its existence, coinciding with the coal-fired power plant project controversy in Bo Nok, Prachuap Khiri Khan; this further drove his interest in the animal.

"It has always stayed in my head," said Chankit. "I tried to research about whales in Thailand but was surprised to find that only stuff like 'whale shark' came up. I found it incredible how our livelihood is so closely associated with sea resources yet we have little knowledge about it and it's such a shame." It was the four Bryde's whale carcasses which washed up on beaches in many provinces in 2011 which led Chankit to establish ThaiWhales, with help from the late Dr Kanjana Adulyanukosol, a marine researcher at Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center, who died early this year.

"There was news on the first day but that was it," said Chankit. "It's unbelievable that nobody took an interest in the issue. The following day, it was all over. I can't imagine how different it would have been, say, if there were dead people washed up on the beach, and if their carcasses were to be left to rot in front of a district office."

As a cinematographer, the bulk of "I'm You" consists of images. Apart from several short documentaries -- an introduction on Bryde's whales in the upper Gulf of Thailand, coverage on the dissection of a whale found at Samut Prakan, a story of 12 mother and child Bryde's whales found in the Gulf of Thailand -- the highlight is also a collection of 40 photographs of the whale by individual photographers and several whale watch groups, including Chankit for ThaiWhales, ChomWhales, Digitalay, Smith Sutibut, Jirayu Ekkul, etc. There will also be artwork inspired by the whale on display. And of course, there are images from the whales themselves with cameras attached to them.

Although the event follows in the footsteps of the seminar, "Whale Of Siam", held last month as a push by the Department of Fisheries to submit a proposal to the cabinet for registering the animal as a conserved species, Chankit said the exhibition doesn't strive to make any statement. It is only to raise public awareness of the mammal.

"I believe real conservation comes from having correct knowledge," said Chankit. "But at the same time it's the beauty of the animal itself that makes people truly care about it. Conservation should start from ourselves, not by a law."

Kaona Pongpipat

Photo by Whale Watching Group.

Protecting a species

The Bryde's whale is an endangered species with only 65 of them left in Thailand. Fortunately, it is likely that the mammals will become Thailand's 16th conserved species since concerned government agencies and tens of thousands of people are in full support.

"This mission must be carried out by all — our generation, the next generation — children, the public and private sectors. Thailand has one of the world's rarest species. They are swimming in the Gulf of Thailand, only 50km away from Bangkok. Almost 27,000 people have so far signed to push for the registration of the Bryde's whale as a conserved species," marine expert Asst Prof Thorn Thamrongnawasawat said.

According to him, the Department of Fisheries already agreed to submit a proposal to the cabinet for consideration. If approved by the cabinet, the proposal will be forwarded to the Council of State. "We need to add the Bryde's whale to the conserved species list because there are not many Bryde's whales [in Thailand] and 15 of them died in the past four years. Several of the dead ones were calves. Their deaths were caused by human activities and fishing tools," the deputy dean of Kasetsart University's Fisheries Faculty added.

According to him, a species is considered to be under threat whenever their death rate reaches 5%.

There are 15 kinds of conserved animals under the 1992 Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. They are the white-eyed river martin, Javan rhino, Sumatran rhino, kouprey, Asiatic or wild water buffalo, brow-antlered deer, Schomburgk's deer which are already extinct, serow, grey Chinese goral, black-breasted pitta, Eastern sarus crane, marbled cat, Malayan tapir, Fea's barking deer and dugong.

According to Asst Prof Thorn, the Bryde's whale is the country's biggest animal whose size is equal to that of four elephants combined. For the 65 Bryde's whales in Thailand, 50 of them swim in the Gulf of Thailand and 15 in the Andaman Sea around Surin and Lanta Islands. Concerned officials can recognise all these whales from their different marks and scars.

The Department of Fisheries is adamant on pushing for the declaration of the Bryde's whale, Omura's whale, whale shark and leatherback turtle as conserved species. This is in accordance with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources' efforts.

Kasemsant Jinnawaso, permanent-secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said: "We have much hope. We asked the Fisheries Department to push for this. We must work harder if we move the Bryde's whale from the protected animal list to the conserved animal list. We must adopt appropriate measures by first bringing up Thai people's understanding. Apart from the Bryde's whale, there are several other species in the seas, such as stingrays and sawfish, which have become rare and near extinction."

According to him, Bryde's whales have been living in the Gulf of Thailand for a long time. Bones of these whales were found in several temples and date to almost 70 years ago.

After years of studies, the use of satellite allows concerned officials to know about the migration of Bryde's whales in Thailand. They also recorded these animals' sounds which the ministry wants to send to foreign institutes to analyse how these whales communicate.

Asst Prof Thorn said that if the Bryde's whale becomes a conserved species, agencies will be able to declare it a species under a critical condition and enforce effective protection measures.

For example, the use of some kind of fishing tools in certain areas during certain periods of time can be forbidden. Other kinds of fish around the habitats of Bryde's whales will be protected, as well.

Warnings will be issued for trawlers to operate carefully around the habitats of Bryde's whales. In addition, local people must be told about the benefits of having Bryde's whales in their neighbourhoods in terms of fertility and tourism. Wherever Bryde's whales like to live is abundant with platoo, or short-bodied mackerel.

Moreover, whale watching tours have a bright future since Thailand is the only Asean country where tourists can see Bryde's whales swim with their heads above water. However, there must be appropriate strategies to ensure sustainable tourism. In the latest development, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in collaboration with Singha Estate lauched the Bryde's Whale Watching Guide for the public to watch Bryde's whales in a proper way.

The marine expert added that subsidies from the private sector have increased from around 1 million baht per year to 2.6 million baht this year for the protection of Bryde's whales in Thailand.

In addition, parties concerned want to do a documentary on Bryde's whales and establish a foundation.

"The aim is to make the Bryde's whale a hero of the Gulf of Thailand," said Asst Prof Thorn.

"We, Thais, have Bryde's whales. So why do we have to be crazy about pandas?

"We can make the Bryde's whale a symbolic animal and mascot for ecotourism.

"Thai people love the Thai seas and can live happily with whales."

Pichaya Svasti