15-feet shark washes ashore in Odisha, sent back into sea  

A 15-feet long whale shark, weighing 1500 kgs, has been released into the Bay of Bengal. The blue whale shark had washed ashore Sunapur beach in Odisha's Ganjam district on Thursday. Some reports also say that it had supposedly got caught in a fishing line.

After some fishermen spotted the fist, they alerted authorities. To the relief of all, the fish was alive. As soon as news spread, people flocked to the beach to see the huge whale shark.

Of late carcasses of whale sharks have been washing ashore.Sometimes, these fishes lose their way in search of food and end up on the land.

Berhampur divisional forest officer Amlan Nayak said that officials of the forest department have been instructed to be alert in case the fish comes back or dies.

Last year, two whale shark carcasses had washed ashore in Odisha. First in March in Sunapur and the second time, the carcass of a 12-foot long whale washed ashore in December in the Balasore district.

Whale sharks are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act and an "endangered" species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, local people say that the authorities are not doing anything to protect the species.