PHI PHI LEH ISLAND, Thailand
The Wider Image: Sharks, tourists jostle for space around Thai destination island
Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, from the Maya Shark Watch Project, arrives with her team members Jampon Khonthong, 38, and Wizchayuth Limungkoon, 41, to install their baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 23, 2023. With the number of sharks in Maya Bay already dwindling, authorities and conservationists are intent on keeping tourists from swimming in the bay and driving away the baby sharks, which hide in the shallows and coral reefs from the cannibalistic adults. "We are hoping that with the restrictions in place, we can mitigate the disturbance to (the sharks). We are doing this research in hopes that we can find the best way to manage and the best way for tourism and the environment to coexist," Metavee said. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.