Big fish: PMNH to screen whale shark documentary

Documentary film tells story of enormous fish, which was found near coast of Karachi and was transported to PMNH.

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) has prepared an informative and educational documentary on the whale shark mounted in the facility and will to begin airing it in the last week of February.

The documentary film tells the story of the enormous fish, which was found near the coast of Karachi and was transported to PMNH, said a museum official. The film also shows the lengthy process of preparing the fish for display and its ultimate inauguration.

The documentary was completed with the collaboration of the Unesco and the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). “It will be presented on the occasion of the participation of PSF in Punjab Youth Festival from February 26 to March 3,” said the official.

The whale shark, which was found washed up in the Gora Bari area by local fishermen, was brought to the PMNH in February 2012, where it was reconstructed, mounted and displayed for the general public as an icon of biodiversity of Pakistan.

It is the biggest type of fish in the world. It is a rare species and declared vulnerable as its population is decreasing at an alarming rate.

This whale shark has a length of 42 feet and weighs 16 tons.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2014.