Boo Boo, Tourism Western Australia's adopted whale shark was tagged by marine biologist and shark researcher Brad Norman, at the Ningaloo Marine Park
AUSTRALIA – Tourism Western Australia has named a seven metre male whale shark which it adopted, in honour of Trent D’Silva, a 15-year-old boy from Perth, who passed on six months ago from a brain tumour. The adopted whale shark which was tagged in Ningaloo Marine Park, has been named ‘Boo Boo’, after D’Silva’s nickname.
D’Silva swam with the whale sharks at Ningaloo last year as a wish after he was diagnosed with the tumour.
“It was a highlight of his short life,” said his mother Leonna.
“When we saw the competition to name the adopted whale shark we thought it would be a lovely way to remember a wonderful boy. ‘Boo Boo’ was the nickname Trent was given by his sister, Courtney.
“We also want other families in similar circumstances to be able to enjoy the amazing experience we had up at Exmouth and Ningaloo, and we are working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to raise money for that.”
Stephanie Buckland, chief executive officer of Tourism Western Australia, said more than 1,000 entries were received during the six week Facebook competition to name the whale shark, and an online poll of a final shortlist overwhelmingly supported the name Boo Boo.
“We think Boo Boo is a great name for our whale shark and thank the D’Silva family for sharing it with us. It is an honour to help them pay tribute to Trent in this way,” said Buckland.
Tourism WA ‘adopted’ Boo Boo in partnership with whale shark research and conservation organisation ECOCEAN[1] Inc. A satellite tag was placed on Boo Boo in the waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park in April this year by whale shark researcher Brad Norman from ECOCEAN, with the moment captured on film. The tag is a new, less intrusive design which will release after about six months to minimise the impact on the fish.
Ningaloo Reef is one of the few places on Earth where people can swim alongside these gentle giants of the deep, which can grow up to 18 metres.
Tourism Western Australia has also developed a Facebook app[2] to show ECOCEAN’s research and conservation efforts, as well as enable the agency’s Facebook community to share whale shark experiences.
Whale sharks visit the warm waters of Ningaloo Reef each year between April and July, during which time visitors can swim with them on dedicated eco tours departing from Exmouth and Coral Bay. For more information on this experience and holidaying in Western Australia visit www.westernaustralia.com[3].
Facebook users can find out more about extraordinary WA at https://www.facebook.com/ExtraordinaryWesternAustralia[4].
Click on the video below to witness the Boo Boo’s tagging process.
References
- ^ ECOCEAN (whaleshark.org)
- ^ Facebook app (www.facebook.com)
- ^ www.westernaustralia.com (www.westernaustralia.com)
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/ExtraordinaryWesternAustralia (www.facebook.com)
