Whale Shark Is Dragged to Shore and Then Killed in Venezuela

An endangered whale shark was dragged to shore alive by boats and then killed by a group of people in Playa Maurica, Venezuela this week.

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⚠️PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS TO SAVE ENDANGERED WHALE SHARKS !⚠️ Yesterday, this endangered whale shark was still alive when it was dragged to the shore by boats and killed by people who then stood on top of this poor animal to celebrate their “trophy” in Playa Maurica, Venezuela. This horrific and illegal killing of a protected species is just the latest of several endangered shark killings that have occurred during the quarantine in Venezuela, causing irreparable damage to the local marine ecosystem and their meat is actually dangerous for human consumption due to its high levels of mercury and other metals. So, why kill this poor whale shark? For its fins. Sadly, there’s huge demand for shark fins due to worldwide demand for this delicacy, which we MUST work together to stop by spreading awareness about this problem! What’s worse is that judging by its size, this poor animal was only 10-15 years old while whale sharks can live to over 100+ years and many communities in countries like Venezuela live on income derived from harmless whale shark tourism so there are SO MANY reasons why these cruel and barbaric killings MUST STOP RIGHT NOW! Let’s use our social media platforms for good and spread awareness how wrong killings like these are — share this post with your followers and tag people, celebrities, influencers and news media who need to see it and encourage the to share too as we must all work together to educate EVERYONE and demand that the authorities punish those responsible while also providing greater protection for endangered whale sharks in Venezuela! LET’S END THESE BARBARIC AND UNNECESSARY KILLINGS RIGHT NOW! Thank you @martinezyosmer @cit_venezuela @respirandobajoelagua for posting! #savethewhalesharks #whalesharks #endangeredspecies #endanimalcruelty #karmagawa #savethereef

A post shared by SaveTheReef (@savethereef) on Aug 12, 2020 at 3:02pm PDT

Afterward, the people stood on top of the carcass to celebrate over it like it, was a trophy.

The horrific and illegal killing is just the latest of several endangered shark killings that have occurred during the quarantine in Venezuela, causing irreparable damage to the local marine ecosystem.

Whale sharks are slow-moving gentle giants and are the largest known surviving fish species. They feed on plankton and travel long distances to find enough food to sustain its large body.

They can spend 20 hours a day near the water’s surface and are harmless to humans. They’re popular among tourists who not only observe them but also swim with them.

There’s been a disturbing decline in the whale-shark population in recent years — enough to prompt the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to declare the giant fish “endangered” in 2016.

Whale shark meat is actually dangerous for human consumption because of its high levels of mercury and other metals … but unfortunately, the humanitarian crisis happening in Venezuela is causing people to hunt whale shark for food, and efforts to persuade government officials to establish protections have produced little results.

Experts are recognizing the need for cross-border initiatives such as educational-cooperation agreements in order to protect the giant fish.

Conservationists — like shark specialists from Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research — are working directly with Venezuelan coastal communities to teach fishers about the ecotourism opportunities that whale sharks bring to prevent further whale shark killings.

At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef, we’re heartbroken for this beautiful creature … and we love that animal experts are coming together to find creative ways to protect animals like whale sharks. There’s always a solution to be able to treat the planet and all its living creatures better.

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What do you think about this gentle giant experiencing this horrific death? Leave a comment below.

(Cover image: Ryan Janssens/Shutterstock)