International Whale Shark Day: Protecting the Gentle Giants of Our Seas

Author: Charles Joseph O. Nicolas & Leo Anthony C. Castro

Published: August 30, 2026

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), locally known as Butanding, Tuki, or Tawiki, are the largest fish in the world. The Philippines, being an archipelagic country, is home to important whale shark habitats, including Donsol, Sorsogon, and Oslob, Cebu. The country also hosts the second-largest known whale shark population, with around 1,960 individuals cataloged (Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, n.d.).

A whale shark in Oslob, Cebu, in May 2026. Photo by Kirby Yu Bun-an

Whale sharks play a vital role in coastal ecosystems through filter feeding, cycling nutrients like nitrogen via waste, and many more. They also provide valuable socioeconomic benefits to coastal communities. In Oslob, Cebu, whale shark tourism has created alternative livelihoods for former fisherfolk, including work as tour guides and boat operators. The growth of tourism has transformed and shifted local livelihoods while contributing to community-based marine conservation efforts (Summers, 2018; Lowe et al., 2019).

These benefits show how wildlife conservation and community livelihoods can support one another. However, over time, they also raise an important question: if these gentle giants provide so much to our coastal communities, how well are we protecting them in return?

When whale shark tourism comes at a cost

Whale sharks may be gentle giants, but their massive size does not make them immune to human pressures. They face some of their biggest threats from entanglement in fishing gear, coastal reclamation, habitat degradation, boat strikes, and unethical or poorly managed wildlife tourism.

The growing popularity of whale shark tourism has also created concerns about how humans interact with these animals. In Oslob, Cebu, whale sharks are provisioned with food to attract them to areas where tourists can observe and swim with them. While this practice has generated significant economic benefits for coastal communities, it has also raised concerns about its effects on natural behavior, energy use, movement patterns, and animal welfare (Ziegler et al., 2018; Barry et al., 2023).

Whale shark tourism being a source of livelihood does not automatically make every form of tourism ethical. Intentionally attracting and keeping wild animals in a particular area through feeding can alter their natural behavior and potentially affect how they interact with their environment. This highlights the need to ensure that economic opportunities do not come at the expense of the welfare and natural behavior of our gentle giants.

Protecting our gentle giants also means conserving the habitats that sustain them

Whale shark conservation also extends beyond the species themselves. Healthy mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and open waters support productive food webs that sustain marine life and coastal communities.

This ecological relationship can also be observed in other Southeast Asian countries, like Indonesia. In Saleh Bay, Sumbawa, whale sharks gather in productive coastal waters to feed and gain nutrients from krill (BBC, 2026). Their presence in these waters reminds us that protecting whale sharks also means protecting the coastal and marine ecosystems that sustain them.

International Whale Shark Day serves as a reminder to look beyond the fascination of encountering one of the ocean’s largest animals. For some, whale sharks are a bucket-list encounter. But for coastal communities, they are more than a wildlife attraction; they are a source of livelihood and opportunity. They support livelihoods, draw tourism, and create opportunities for marine conservation.

However, a memorable wildlife encounter should never come at the expense of the animal. Just because an interaction looks beautiful in a photograph does not mean that it is responsible or ethical.

If you are planning to swim with or observe whale sharks, do your research first. Learn how the animals are being managed, whether they are being fed or otherwise manipulated to facilitate tourist encounters, and whether the activity allows them to behave naturally and move freely in their habitat. Choose tourism operators and destinations that prioritize animal welfare, responsible wildlife practices, and conservation over the promise of a guaranteed encounter.

Being a responsible tourist also means being willing to ask difficult questions and speak up when wildlife tourism practices are harmful. We should not tolerate unethical practices simply because they provide livelihoods, attract tourists, or make for a good photograph. We can advocate for better alternatives that protect both the communities that depend on tourism and the wildlife that brings people to these places.

As our country benefits from the presence of these gentle giants, we must also ask ourselves: Will we wait until these gentle giants no longer wander our coastal waters before we choose to protect them?

#InternationalWhaleSharkDay2026