Academic warns tourists not to touch whale shark

BANGKOK, May 8 (TNA) - After a whale shark spotted off an island in Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday, an academic warns tourists neither to touch nor feed it. Thorn Thamrongnavasawas, lecturer at Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University gave a telephone interview to Thai News Agency, warning tourists not to touch a whale shark for taking pictures and not to feed it He also asked for cooperation for motor boats to anchor 50 metres away from the whale shark as it can be harmed by the propeller. Meanwhile, Wan Chatree, the Director of the local Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Management said that his office was assigned to conduct a survey on the number of whale shark there and how it eat for proper management of tourism activities in the area. About 200 tourists were snorkeling off Thalu Island when they had a close encounter with the six-metre whale shark and took pictures. The whale shark glided near the group of snorkelers for about an hour and it is believed to be the same whale shark, spotted several days ago. (TNA)