Tata Chemicals’ association with Wildlife Trust of India achieves a unique milestone in conserving the whale sharks
Ahmedabad / Dwarka, November 27, 2009

	Till date the campaign has succeeded in saving 187 whale sharks
	Day-long celebration witnesses enthusiastic participation from schoolchildren and villagers

The human touch of chemistry is a mantra Tata Chemicals propagates and follows through significant contributions to the society and the nature. A few years back, Tata Chemicals, in association with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Coast Guards and the Forest Department officials, took the onus of saving the almost-extinct species of whale shark, commonly known as vhali in coastal Gujarat. Commemorating the contribution made for this novel initiative, a day-long celebration aptly named as the 'Whale Shark Day’ is undertaken every year and the efforts have borne fruits, resulting in the saving of 187 whale sharks till date.

This year, the day-long activities involving fishermen, forest officials, schoolchildren and locals was undertaken at Dwarka, Gujarat, wherein people from the nearby villages and school came together and participated in the activities to lend their support to protect and conserve the whale sharks and the coral reef along the coastline of Gujarat.

The day awoke to a wonderful start with a rally organised for the local schoolchildren which commenced from Commerce College Ground and ended at the Sunset Point, with more than 500 students who enthusiastically donned t-shirts, caps and sun visors and participated in the rally. Students wholeheartedly participated in events such as drawing competition, slogan-writing competition, quiz, tug of war, etc.

In the second half of the day, representatives from Tata Chemicals, Coast Guards and WTI reiterated the importance of conserving the almost-extinct species of the planet, and maintenance of greener and cleaner environment for our future generation.

The fishermen who have played an important role in supporting and propagating the conservation campaign were lauded and felicitated with the ‘Vhali na Veera’ trophies for their outstanding contribution in conserving the whale shark.

Speaking on the occasion, Satish Anand, corporate HR and corporate affairs, chemicals business and consumer products business, Tata Chemical, said, “Tata Chemicals has a long history of social initiatives that touch upon the lives of the people and the communities where we operate our business. We strongly believe in working closely with the people and also believe that the natural surroundings should benefit from the various initiatives undertaken. Since its inception, the Whale Shark Conservation Project has grown in leaps and bounds, and people’s support reflects in the 187 whale sharks that have been saved till date. We are proud of achieving this unique milestone. We at Tata Chemicals are committed to support the flora, fauna and the wildlife species and will take our best step forward in conserving the nature and its rare mammals in years to come.”

Last year, The Gujarat Forest Department and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a conservation research programme on whale sharks and corals. Tata Chemicals and WTI signed an MoU for a conservation project to create awareness and undertake research and to save the endangered species of whale sharks that visits the coastal shores of Gujarat. The MoU also undertook a study to explore whale shark tourism opportunities in the region which makes this project a unique and first-of-its-kind in the country. Funded by Tata Chemicals with a corpus of Rs2 crore, the initiative is in collaboration with Gujarat State Forest Department, the National Institute of Oceanography and other marine experts from the national and international arena.