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Documenting the lessons learned from this tragic loss is critically important if we are to protect the endangered species in the region. “This latest river dolphin death highlights how vulnerable these and other species remain. “The remaining population of ‘Critically Endangered’ river dolphins in the Cambodia section of the Mekong is now stable, whilst still facing serious challenges,” Mercado said.
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Now, wildlife experts warn that more protection is needed to save the Irrawaddy dolphin from global extinction. The overall goal of this project is to stop the decline and eventually increase the population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River. It is best visited from Mandalay on an overnight boat trip. It was the country’s first aquatic protected area, established in 2005, stretches for 74 km and has approximately 25 dolphins in the area. As the fishing industry turns to lighter, cheaper fishing nets, the dolphins can no longer sense the nets via echolocation.ĭam and hydropower construction have also threatened the endangered river dolphin species. Myanmar’s Ayeyawady Dolphin Protected Area is the only place where you can see both Irrawaddy dolphins and the cooperative fishing tradition. Fishing nets are another huge issue for this species and other aquatic animals. Irrawaddy dolphins have been vulnerable to hunting for years and have also been used for combat target training. “The numbers in the pool have plummeted over the last few years, due to multiple threats including hydropower dam construction causing disruptions to river flow and reduced fish abundance, drowning in gill-nets, and the use of damaging fishing practices such as electrofishing and overfishing,” said Lan Mercado, WWF Asia-Pacific director. “The transboundary Mekong River dolphin sub-population experienced serious pressure from anthropogenic activities, change of the Mekong water flow, and climate change, causing the total population to have gradually declined.”Īccording to WWF, the death of this last known Irrawaddy dolphin in the Mekong River could represent the species’ extinction within Laos. “We are saddened to lose the last dolphin at the Cheuteal water pool adjacent to the border of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR),” the Fisheries Conservation Department of Cambodia said on Facebook, as reported by Plant Based News. The dolphin’s entanglement prevented it from swimming and catching food, leading to its death. The dolphin died Tuesday, February 15, 2022, but its tail was spotted caught in a fishing line about one week prior, Cambodian state news agency AKP reported. Aside from Mekong River, the Irrawaddy dolphin is found in the Myanmar River, the Indonesian Borneo River, and southern coastal regions of Asia. As of 2020, experts estimated around 89 surviving Irrawaddy dolphins, as reported by Los Angles Times. The river dolphin, which lived in the Mekong River, was tangled in a fishing net.Īlso called the Mekong River dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin is an endangered species with an estimated 91 animals left, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. Of these, more than 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been reported from Bangladesh, while the dolphin distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population.The last known Irrawaddy dolphin in northeastern Cambodia has died, wildlife officials confirmed on Wednesday.The head is blunt, with no beak the mouthline is straight, and there may be. The large flippers have curved leading edges and rounded tips. The fin is small and rounded, and is set just behind mid-back. The Irrawaddy dolphin resembles the finless porpoise, but unlike that species, it has dorsal fin.
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The total population of these aquatic mammals in the world is estimated to be less than 7,500. Physical Description / Field Identification.They are also found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong.The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. John Anderson described Irrawaddy dolphins in the Ayeyarwady (formerly Irrawaddy from where the dolphin takes its common.Habitats: Lakes, Rivers, Estuaries, and Coasts.The lake has highest single lagoon population of the aquatic mammal in the world. From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :ġ46 Irrawaddy dolphins were recently sighted in Chilika Lake of Odisha.