After browsing through an endless stream of photos of Mahanakhon's light beam display, we found one that really stuck out: a picture of the Bangkok skyline, including Mahanakhon, taken from the water and featuring a bryde's whale feeding in the foreground.

 

First question we asked: is it real? Absolutely yes, according to the man who captured the image, Jirayu Ekkul, a whale researcher and professional photographer who founded Wild Encounter Thailand, which runs tours to see bryde's whales in the Gulf of Thailand. 

 

“I took this picture in early August during a research trip on bryde's whale behavior in the Gulf of Thailand," Jirayu told BK. "I remember that the sky that day wasn’t very clear in the morning, but then it became bright in the afternoon. That’s why we can so clearly see the Bangkok skyline.”

 

His gear? Pretty simple for a wildlife photographer, but not for amateurs: a Nikon D800E with a 500mm telephoto lens at F4 aperture.

 

After posting the pictures on his personal Facebook account, it fetched more than 1,000 likes. He told us that bryde's whale groups often travel around the north of the Gulf of Thailand to eat fish at river estuaries like Bangpakong and the Chao Phraya. 

 

Though seeing the spectacle of one of the world's largest mammals right outside Bangkok might be exciting for us, Jirayu voiced his concerns that such proximity to urban development puts these animals at great risk. 

 

“City people like us, who have mod-cons and stick to their phone and digital world, might forget how close we actually are with nature,” he said. 

 

“Many of us try to drive away from Bangkok to Khao Yai to get close to nature, and overlook the fact that it's so close to the capital. That means our actions can have a huge effect, especially releasing trash and sewage into the sea. The ocean is home to these whales, who consume the waste we create. I want this picture to convey the message to all Bangkokians that it's truly a miracle we live with large whales near the capital."

 

You can follow Jirayu at www.fb.com/jirayu.ekkul