In a bid to save endangered blue whales from extinction, Thailand‘s Cabinet yesterday approved in principle a draft royal decree which designates blue whales and leopard sharks as “wildlife reserves,” under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act of 2019.
Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are already protected wild animals in Thailand, but the current laws have not been effective in stopping their small population from dwindling.
The species is close to extinction due to illegal hunting/whaling as well as climate change and ocean acidification which have reduced stocks of their primary food sources.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Apichai Ekwanakul, said that blue whales are the largest animals in the world and therefore it is important that they are strictly conserved, reports DailyNews.
Blue whales have been spotted just…
