Sharks are helping the Philippines recover from a typhoon

Three years ago, the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. In one corner of the country, the people have found a surprising way to recover

At dawn on Friday 8 November 2013, exactly three years ago, the Philippines was struck by the deadliest typhoon in its history: Typhoon Haiyan.

The first point of impact was the eastern province of Guiuan. From there the 370-mile-wide storm travelled west across the country, devastating its picture-perfect islands before moving on to Vietnam and Laos.
As the 195mph winds struck the shore, palm trees crunched into two, buildings were ripped apart, and cars were swept up and piled on top of one another. Over the course of the next 48 hours, more than a million homes were destroyed and more than 6,000 people were killed.
In the days that followed, journalists reported scenes of utter devastation: splinters of wood and glass were smashed all over the ground, and debris littered the once-pristine beaches. Images went viral of children walking over rubble, and of hand-painted signs stacked up saying, "Help us!" and "We need water, food, shelter". Everywhere, lives and livelihoods had been reduced to dust.
Malapascua, a small island resort that lay right in Haiyan's path, was particularly hard-hit. Buildings were flattened, fishing boats annihilated, and all power and communications lost. To most, it seemed that this once-popular tourist destination was finished. But all hope was not lost: Malapascua still had its thresher sharks.
Thresher sharks are long-tailed creatures that use their tails as whips to stun other fish, making them easier to catch.
Early in the morning some of them come close to shore to avail the services of the cleaner wrasses 
There are at least three species, all in the genus Alopias: pelagic thresher sharks, which are found in Malapascua; bigeyes, found in tropical oceans across the globe; and common thresher sharks, which prefer cooler waters. The Philippines' pelagic threshers can be distinguished by the dark shading over the base of the pectoral fins. They are also the smallest of the three species, only reaching around 10ft (3m) long when fully grown.
All three species of thresher shark are highly migratory, and are found both in high seas and shore waters. They only reproduce slowly, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Pelagic threshers produce just two offspring a year and do not reach sexual maturity until they are around 8 years old.
Every day, pelagic thresher sharks head to Monad Shoal, a sunken island just off the coast of Malapascua. They have chosen this spot for a good reason, says Alessandro Ponzo, executive director of the Large Marine Vertebrates Project Philippines. "Thresher sharks, like all other wild species, host a number of external parasites," says Ponzo. "To get rid of them, early in the morning some of them come close to shore to avail the services of the cleaner wrasses [small fish] at several cleaning stations that can be found around Monad Shoal."     —BBC

Sharks are helping the Philippines recover from a typhoon

Three years ago, the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. In one corner of the country, the people have found a surprising way to recover

At dawn on Friday 8 November 2013, exactly three years ago, the Philippines was struck by the deadliest typhoon in its history: Typhoon Haiyan. The first point of impact was the eastern province of Guiuan. From there the 370-mile-wide storm travelled west across the country, devastating its picture-perfect islands before moving on to Vietnam and Laos. As the 195mph winds struck the shore, palm trees crunched into two, buildings were ripped apart, and cars were swept up and piled on top of one another. Over the course of the next 48 hours, more than a million homes were destroyed and more than 6,000 people were killed. In the days that followed, journalists reported scenes of utter devastation: splinters of wood and glass were smashed all over the ground, and debris littered the once-pristine beaches. Images went viral of children walking over rubble, and of hand-painted signs stacked up saying, Help us! and We need water, food, shelter. Everywhere, lives and livelihoods had been reduced to dust. Malapascua, a small island resort that lay right in Haiyans path, was particularly hard-hit. Buildings were flattened, fishing boats annihilated, and all power and communications lost. To most, it seemed that this once-popular tourist destination was finished. But all hope was not lost: Malapascua still had its thresher sharks. Thresher sharks are long-tailed creatures that use their tails as whips to stun other fish, making them easier to catch. Early in the morning some of them come close to shore to avail the services of the cleaner wrasses There are at least three species, all in the genus Alopias: pelagic thresher sharks, which are found in Malapascua; bigeyes, found in tropical oceans across the globe; and common thresher sharks, which prefer cooler waters. The Philippines pelagic threshers can be distinguished by the dark shading over the base of the pectoral fins. They are also the smallest of the three species, only reaching around 10ft (3m) long when fully grown. All three species of thresher shark are highly migratory, and are found both in high seas and shore waters. They only reproduce slowly, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Pelagic threshers produce just two offspring a year and do not reach sexual maturity until they are around 8 years old. Every day, pelagic thresher sharks head to Monad Shoal, a sunken island just off the coast of Malapascua. They have chosen this spot for a good reason, says Alessandro Ponzo, executive director of the Large Marine Vertebrates Project Philippines. Thresher sharks, like all other wild species, host a number of external parasites, says Ponzo. To get rid of them, early in the morning some of them come close to shore to avail the services of the cleaner wrasses [small fish] at several cleaning stations that can be found around Monad Shoal. BBC