This is the heartwarming moment kind fishermen save a whale shark trapped in a net in the Philippines.

Locals spotted the gentle giant thrashing around in the water after it swam into the net off the coast of Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte province on May 26.

Several locals used wooden boats to rush out from the nearby shore. They went to work untangling the massive creature from the snare, and it took only a few minutes as the whale shark stayed docile throughout the ordeal.

After being freed, it lingered for several seconds as if it was thanking its rescuers before swimming back into the open sea.

Onlooker Reovier Escabarte said: 'The whale was seen struggling to swim because it was trapped in the net. I think it would have died if nobody went to help it.'

Despite their massive size, whale sharks are slow-moving, plankton feeding creatures and are tame to humans and are completely safe to swim around with.

They are classed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with their biggest threats coming from humans and ocean pollution.