Seeking More Protection for Whale Sharks
The Philippines host the second-largest known aggregation of whale sharks in the world. Donsol, the first and longest-running whale shark ecotourism destination in the Philippines, has become known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World.”
On 15 March 2020, a free-swimming 60cm newborn male whale shark was found in the shallow, coastal waters of Donsol. It was the third occurrence of neonatal whale sharks reported in the area, that together with the occurrence of juveniles and adults, anecdotal mating and precopulatory behaviour, it highlights the importance of Donsol for the species as well as the need to further protect the Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape.