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Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 14 December 2006 21:31
China’s own freshwater dolphin, the ‘baiji’, is reported to be ‘functionally extinct’ thanks to pollution in the Yangtze river, with a recent search to save the dolphin finding none whatsoever.
China’s dolphin, the baiji, is said to be the world’s rarest mammal. Revered by the Chinese and part of their legends, the dolphin has disappeared from China’s most famous river, thanks to industrial pollution from technology and other factories, dam projects and noise pollution that has adversely affected the dolphin’s sonic waves, used for navigation.
Overfishing in the river is also said to have dramatically affected the dolphin’s food supply, cutting it at least by half.
An expedition with two research vessels, sent to the Yangste to find the dolphin and collect enough live specimens for breeding to save the species, was unable to find any sign of the dolphin despite searching over 2,000 miles of river for it.
Scientists had expect to see or hear the dolphin but came up empty, with the last, unconfirmed sighting being thanks to a fisherman in 2004.
The dolphin has very small eyes, which would have been rendered almost useless thanks to the murky, dirty waters, pale skin and a distinctive long thin snout different to the regular ‘Flipper’ species of dolphin most of us are quite familiar with.
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, with very little hope of finding any more alive.
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