SriLankan and WDCS sign MoU to protect whales and dolphins

By Sanath Weerasuriya in London

SriLankan Airlines created history at the World Travel Market in London yesterday by signing a MoU with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

The WDCS is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

WDCS is one of the world’s leading authorities on whales and dolphins and has representatives all over the world. It is also a recognised partner of the Convention on Migratory Species, which is part of the United Nations Environment Program.

The MoU was signed by Nishantha Wickremasinghe, the Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, and Mark Simmons, a Trustee on behalf of WDCS.

By entering an agreement with WDCS, SriLankan Airlines became the first and the only airline in the world to form a joint venture with a water-based conservation society.

“Though we fly, this shows our responsibility and commitment towards marine conservation and protecting all wildlife, especially in Sri Lanka,” said Chairman Wickremasinghe at the presentation.

He also said that Sri Lanka was blessed with two of the biggest mammals on earth and it was our utmost responsibility to protect them for future generations.

“That’s why we have joined hand with WDSC and Sri Lanka Tourism in wildlife Conservation,” he added.

Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Bashwara Gunathilleka, who was at the ceremony, said that a Parliamentary Act had been passed on wildlife conservation to protect the waters of Sri Lanka.

“This is the first time that an offshore area has been declared as a protected area in Sri Lanka. Most of the whale and dolphin watching areas, such as Mirissa, Kalpitiya, Trinco, and Yala, have been identified as protected zones,” Gunathilleka said.

Jayantissa Kehelpannala, the Leisure Sector Head of John Keells, and Shiromal Cooray, the Managing Director of Jetwing Travels, both big time whale and dolphin watching service providers, were also present at the event.

A documentary on whales and dolphins and their behaviour patterns and activities along the coast of Sri Lanka will be shown on SriLankan flights to educate travellers, both Sri Lankan and overseas, who are keen to go on whale and dolphin watching tours off Mirissa, Kalpitiya, and Trincomalee.

A shorter version of the documentary too was screened at the WTM press launch directed by Philip Hoare and shot by veteran cinematographer Andrew Sutton.

Hoare is a writer and cultural historian. He is the author of Leviathan or The Whale, and is currently artist-in-residence at The Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, UK.

“I have been to Sri Lanka so many times and I know about the whales and dolphins around Sri Lanka. This documentary was shot close to Sri Lankan waters. Our main aim is to educate people, both travellers and service providers, to handle whales and dolphin watching programs in a more responsible way,” Philip said.

“I know some of the operators do not respect the international rules and regulation on whale and dolphin watching. They are not destroying the opportunities of whale and dolphin watching, but disturbing the migratory patterns of the largest mammals in the world,” he added.

Sutton is the Ambassador at Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Although Sutton’s first visit to the Island was back in 2003 as a member of a SriLankan Airlines film crew, it was seven years later that the idea of sighting whales in the island’s waters took root.

A murmur about blue whales among naturalists in Sri Lanka had stirred his curiosity to dig deeper and finally an effort in 2010 proved fruitful. He recalls his first encounter of blue whales off the Mirissa Harbour.

“Literally within 30 minutes of being on a boat, we were watching the giant flukes of blue whales sliding into the water. For me the emotional excitement of that was extraordinary,” and 10 days in the company of these marine giants, both the blue whales and sperm whales, ensued.

This initial experience produced some of the first underwater photographs taken of blue whales in Sri Lanka.

Sutton felt the urgency to share what he had experienced and the idea of a film project ignited, not simply to spread the word about the existence of whale pods but to also protect and ensure appropriate guidelines. The knowledge of his experience caught the attention of other renowned names in his sphere and soon he was to pay a return visit to collaborate with underwater cameramen Doug Allan and Didier Noirot for the BBC series Ocean Giants.

It was to convey the fervent message that this asset of marine mammals required the best guidance possible as in a short span of 18 months the waters of Mirissa had transformed from a complete absence of whale watching boats to a tremendous increase.

“Mirissa turned from a small backwater port to a place where the eyes of the world were upon,” he added. “This most recent visit, which was once again facilitated by SriLankan Airlines and tour operators John Keells and Jetwing, proved memorable. The March season yielded sightings not just in Mirissa but Kalpitiya and Trincomalee as well,” he said.