BBC News, Mumbai
ShutterstockIndia’s Longest and Most Holy River, The Ganges, Is Home To Thousands of Dolphins. Butir Survival Is Under Threat.
But These Aren’t Like The Ones Found in Oceans. They Don’t Leap Out of the Water in Spectacular Arcs; Surface for Long Intervals or Swim in Upright Position. Instead, They Swim Sideways, Spend Much of Their Time Underwater, Have Long Snotuts And Are Sand Completely Blind.
These are even gangetic dolphins, a species of the country’s National Aquatic Aquatic Animal – That’s Found Largeless in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River System in the Northern part of the country.
A New Survey Finds India’s Rivers Host Around 6,327 River Dolphins – 6,324 gangetic and Just Three Indus Dolphins. A Majority of the Indus Dolphins Are Found in Pakistan As the River Flows Through Both The South Asian Country.
Both These Dolphin Species Are Classified As “Endangered” by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Researchers from The Wildlife Institute of India Surveyed 58 Rivers Across 10 States 2021 and 2023 to Produce The First Comprehensive Count Of India’s River Dolphins.
Getty ImagesThe Origins of River Dolphins Are As fascinating As the Creatures Themselves. Ofen Called “Living Fossils”, They Evolved From Marine Ancestors of the Millions of Years ago, Say Scientists.
When The Sea Once Flooded Low-Lying Areas of South Asia, These Dolphins Moved Inland – and when The Waters Receded, They Stayed. Over Time, They Adapted To Murky, Shallow Rivers, Developing Traits That Set Them Apart From Their Ocean-Dwelling Cousins.
Experts Say The New Survey Is Crucial Tracking River Dolphin Populations. Since 1980, At Least 500 Dollphins Have Die – Many accidental to the Species of the Species in Fishing Nets OR Killed – Highlighting Threat Threat Species.
Conservationist Ravindra Kumar Sinha Says That Up Until The Early 2000s, There Very Little Awareness About River Dolphins.
In 2009, The Gangetic River Dolphin was declared India’s National Aquatic Animal to Boost Conservation. Steps Like A 2020 Action Plan and a dedicated Research Center in 2024 Have Semce Helped Revive IT Numbers.
However, ConservationSs say there’s Still A Long Way To Go.
Dolphins Continue to Be Poached For Their Flesh and Blubber, From Which Oil Is Extracted to Use As Fishing Bait. Other Times, Thy ColLide With Boats or Get Caught in Fishing Lines and Die.
Nachiket Kelkar Of The Wildlife Conservation Trust Told Sanctuary Asia Magazine That Many Fishermen Often Did’ten Report Accidental Dolphins of Dolphins Fearing Legal Trouble.
Under Indian Wildlife Laws, Accidental OR Targeted Dolphin Killings Are treated as “Hunting” and Carry Strict penalties. As A Result, Many Poor Fishermen Quietly Dispose Of The Carcasses to Avoid Fines.
Getty ImagesRiver Cruise Tourism, which has been picted up in India in the past decade, has further threatened their habitat. Dozens of Cruise Trips Operate on Both The Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.
“There’s No Doubt That Disturbances Will Gravely Impact The Dolphins, What Are Sensitive to Noise,” Conservationist Ravindra Kumar Sinha Told The Guardian Newspaper.
Mr Sinha Believes That Increased Vessel Traffic Could Push Gangetic Dolphins Towards Extinction, Much Like It Did To Did To Baiji Dolphins in China’s Yangtze River.
River Dolphins Face Threats Partly Due to Their Own Evolution. Nearly Blind, Those Relly Echolocation – High-Pitched Sound Pulses That Bounce Off and Return As Echoes – To Navigate Murky Waters. While this trait suits Their Habitat, It also Makes Them Vulnerable to Modern Threats.
Their Poor Eyesight and Slow Swimming Speed Made River Dolphins Especially Prone to Collisions With Boats and Other Obstacles. Adding to their vulnerability is Their Slow Reproductive Cycle – They Mature Between Six and 10 Years of Age and Females Typically Give Birth To Just One Calf Every Two to Three Years.
But Mr Sinha is hopeful about The Future of River Dolphins in India. “Government Initiatives Have a Big Role in Saving The Dolphins. A Lot has been a lot of remains to be MORE too,” Hey Says.
