Sighting of Yangtze River Dolphin Declared "Extinct" Gives New Hope

When a 2006 expedition to study the population of Yangtze river dolphins found not one specimen, the species was declared "functionally extinct." Yet a Chinese businessman recorded a sighting of the animal August 19, giving new hope that the species will survive. The World Wildlife Fund released a statement calling for renewed efforts to preserve the species.

Reports from the Chinese media describe "a big white animal" in the footage, which was later confirmed by a leading scientist as the Yangtze River dolphin, or Baiji. After the failed expedition last year did not find even one specimen, many scientists agreed that, based on the complexity of the river's waters and geography, it was unlikely that a sustainable population remained. That they refrained from officially declaring the species lost was also in part to how difficult it is to document the river's fauna.

"This sighting presents a last hope that the Baiji may not go the way of the dodo bird," said Karen Baragona, Yangtze River Basin Program leader at World Wildlife Fund. "Other species have been brought back from the brink of extinction like the southern right whale and white rhinos, but only through the most intensive conservation efforts."

The group has already been active inn the protection of this species of dolphin and their habitat. The WWF cooperated with others in drafting a protection strategy and plan to improve the capacity of nature reserves last year.

"WWF calls for immediate joint efforts to provide a living space for this beautiful animal, which is a key species indicating the health of its habitat - the Yangtze River. To be effective, efforts must address agriculture, water resources, transportation, environmental protection and sanitation to reduce human disturbance and protect the cetaceans in the river," Baragona said.

The Yangtze river dolphin is found only in the Yangtze river, and is nicknamed "Goddess" of the river. Other common names for it are Whitefin Dolphin or simply the Yangtze Dolphin. Illegal fishing techniques and pollution are thought to be the main causes of the dolphin's decline. Creation of the Three Gorges Dam further reduced the river dolphin's habitat and increased shipping traffic. Since the dolphin is extremly near sighted - almost blind - noise pollution from ship trffic caused many collisions with propellers. While the scientist stress the one sighting is not enough to declare the population recovering, it is a promising sign.

Source:

World Wildlife Fund, Baiji Dolphin Previously Thought Extinct Spotted in the Yangtze River , PR Newswire
The Nature Conservancy, Yangtze River Dolphin