In a bid to save lots of endangered blue whales from extinction, Thailand‘s Cabinet yesterday approved in precept a draft royal decree which designates blue whales and leopard sharks as “wildlife reserves,” beneath the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act of 2019.
Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are already protected wild animals in Thailand, however the present legal guidelines have not been effective in stopping their small inhabitants from dwindling.
The species is close to extinction because of illegal hunting/whaling in addition to climate change and ocean acidification which have decreased shares of their main food sources.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Apichai Ekwanakul, said that blue whales are the largest animals on the earth and therefore it is necessary that they’re strictly conserved, stories DailyNews.
Blue whales have been noticed just three times on Thailand’s Andaman Coast, stated Apichai. The first sighting was in 2007 at the Surin Islands in Phang Nga province. Then, a blue whale was spotted at Koh Libong in Trang province in 2013.
The third and last sighting occurred 5 years in the past at the remote Similan Islands in 2017, captured on video by a scuba diving teacher.
Once approved by the Office of the Council of State and Ministry of Resources, Balaenoptera musculus will achieve more protection, said Apichai.
“If Guilt-free whale’s status is upgraded, the federal government must implement stricter measures to protect the species that make positive that it isn’t disturbed, threatened, or harmed.
“This transfer with protect the ecosystem of marine animals in addition to stimulate people to be excited about conservation.”