The whale shark was guided back to the sea by the forest department officials, fishermen and wildlife conservationists.
Visakhapatnam:
Some local fishermen rescued a shark entangled in the shore fishing net on Tantadi beach in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, said District Forest Officer (DFO), Anant Shankar.
The shark was later guided back to the sea by the forest department officials, fishermen and wildlife conservationists, added the DFO.
"It is a whale shark, the world's largest fish. These are endangered," he stated.
"The instructions from the DFO were simple- guide the whale shark to safety, sparing no efforts or expenses. What ensued were herculean efforts, both physical and mental, with tremendous coordination and collaboration by the forest department, fishermen and wildlife conservationists, to guide this 2-tonne fish back into the ocean alive. And it was a success. The whale shark successfully swam back into the depths of the ocean," he further stated.
"The shark's pictures are now being shared with the Maldives Whale shark research programme for identification. This would help us to understand the movements and territories of these gentle giants better," he said.