TURNING THE TIDE
The campaign to save Vhali, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in Gujarat
 A decade ago, the world's largest fish, the whale shark, was slaughtered commercially in large numbers along the coast of Gujarat in western India. The hunting continued even after its listing in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, in 2001. However, three years of concerted campaigning since 2004, by Wildlife Trust of India-International Fund for Animal Welfare, Tata Chemicals Limited and the Gujarat Forest Department, has turned Gujarat's whale shark hunters into its protectors. The threatened fish is now celebrated as an icon and called 'Vhali' - the dear one.
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