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Chinese Freshwater Dolphin Extinct
• Pollution in the Yangtze river is believed to have caused the extinction of the baiji
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By
Mss Gingham
Wednesday,
13 December, 2006
The Chinese freshwater dolphin, the ‘baiji’, has been reported as extinct due to the pollution in the Yangtze river.
A recent search of the 2000 mile river to save the dolphin was unable to find any surviving members of the species.
Revered by the Chinese and featuring in many of their legends, a recent expedition to the Yangtze by two research vessels, to find and rescue enough live specimens to start a breeding programme to save the species, was unable to find any after a six week search of the 2000 mile river.
Explanations for its demise include industrial pollution from technology and other factories, dam projects and noise pollution that adversely affected the dolphin’s sonic waves, used for navigation and overfishing in the river which is said to have dramatically reduced the dolphin’s food supply.
The last, unconfirmedm sighting was by a fisherman in 2004.
The baiji dolphin has very small eyes, pale skin and a distinctive long thin snout. It’s the largest mammal to become extinct in recent times, with environmentalists calling the findings ‘tragic’. It is believed the baiji dolphin has been in existence for over 20 million years. There is now very little hope of finding any survivors.
OntheLam 2007
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