A video has emerged of a tourist bargaining for the life of a baby whale shark caught by fisherman in Indonesia.

Video posted to YouTube shows fishermen from Ambon, in the east of Indonesia, proudly displaying their catch while the shark lies passively in half a foot of water.

Locals can be seen taking video on their phones and climbing on the back of the slow-moving fish, which can grow up to 40-feet in length.

A video has emerged of a tourist beggin for the life of a baby whale shark caught by fisherman in Indonesia

Locals in Ambon can be seen taking video on their phone and climbing on the back of the fish

After getting off a nearby boat, a Russian diver intervenes to save the shark.

He negotiates with the fisherman and agrees to pay 1 million rupiah ($75) to have the gentle giant released.

Whale sharks, the world's largest fish, are protected under Indonesian law, but demand for their meat, fins and oil means they're under threat by poachers.

The ICUN Red List of Threatened Species has categorized the animal as endangered and says that over the past 75 years the global whale shark population has declined more than 50 percent.

The animal is found throughout the tropical and temperate seas of the Indonesian archipelago.

Whale sharks are protected under Indonesian law, but demand for their meat, fins and oil means they are under threat by poachers

A Russian diver (front) intervenes to save the shark after getting off a boat

With the help of a translator (right) the diver agrees to pay 1 million rupiah ($75) to have the gentle giant released

The whale shark, which is the world's largest fish, is released and swims away