heek | the magazine for children

Many animals are on the brink of extinction. One species (which not too many people know about) is the Ganga River - or Gangetic - Dolphin. As of December 2005, there are only 1,800 of these dolphins left, according to WWF-India. Way back in 1982, there were some 5,000. It is also on the Endangered List of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

The Gangetic Dolphin is found in the Ganga (and its tributary, the Bhagirathi), the Brahmaputra, the Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems, and its range extends from the Himalayan foothills to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan (even Myanmar, according to reported sightings). In India, it is found in 7 states - Rajasthan, UP, MP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam.

The Gangetic Dolphin has a streamlined, smooth and hairless body. It is greyish brown in colour. It has large paddle-like flippers and a powerful tail. It has a melon-shaped head, with a long thin snout. This snout has more than 100 sharp teeth. The Gangetic Dolphin cannot see (it is the only species in the world to have eyes without lenses). But it does have a highly-evolved sonar sense (to listen through emitted echoes). With this quality, it can navigate through the river and also find its prey - small fish, insect larvae and mollusc. The Gangetic Dolphin is a solitary creature, which may occasionally be found in pairs, but almost never in a group.

Like all marine mammals (such as whales), it cannot breathe inside water, and has to surface for air. When it surfaces for air, it makes a ‘Soooosssss’ sound, and that’s why it is also called the Susu.

The Gangetic Dolphin is at the top of the food chain (like the tiger in the forest) and that is why it is extremely valuable, because it is a symbol of a healthy river ecosystem.

Why is the Gangetic Dolphin on the brink of extinction? Well, the speed at which industrial pollution is rising is one of the main reasons. As people use up fresh water from rivers and mine

along the river’s banks, the dolphin is losing its habitat. Plus, the construction of dams and barrages is leading to fragmented (broken up, in different places) habitat.

There’s also the problem of rampant poaching. It is killed for its meat, oil and blubber, or to be used as bait for fishing.

Another problem is that the dolphin also ends up as ‘bycatch’ (which means that it was not the target, but gets entangled in nets), because fishermen have begun to use very fine nylon nets. The dolphin is losing its prey too.

But all these problems have solutions. They may be difficult to implement, but we have to make sure that the Gangetic Dolphin is saved.

One way is for organisations to start concrete measures. WWF-India, for example, set up the Dolphin Conservation Programme in 1997. It has identified some areas that can be protected areas (quite like wildlife sanctuaries on land). Another organization is the Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre. It runs the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary. Through its research and education, it hopes to establish a balance between the dolphin and humans. Vikramshila is supported by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

Aaranyak, a conservation organisation founded in 1989, is another. Working with Dibrugarh University, it has initiated a conservation project in the Brahmaputra (it is also supported by a host of conservation bodies, such as the UK-based Birdlife International and US-based Wildlife Conservation Society). Since conservation must begin at the ground level, Aaranyak is trying to ensure that the local community is actively involved.

In terms of the law, river pollution has to be heavily fined. At

the same time, the actual status of the Gangetic Dolphin (how many are alive, where these populations live, what they eat and where they migrate to, etc) has to be ascertained.

Perhaps most importantly, specific awareness is required... meaning that everyone (right from environmentalists to government officials and the media) have to drum up support. The poor fishermen who live around the dolphin have to be motivated to help (they can be given the charge of caring for the creature as opposed to hunting it, for example).

Finally, there’s science. And that’s where individuals came in. Don King, Norm Holy and Ed Trippel (a fisherman, a chemist and a biologist), won the WWF’s International Smart Gear Competition for their creation of stiffer nets and glowing ropes to help dolphins and whales detect nets. Whether at an individual level or at a community level, something has to be done to save this majestic, docile creature of the river.

Sanjeev Behera, a scientist with WWF-India, explains why river dolphins need to be protected.

Where can dolphins be found, and how many are there?
In the upper Ganga (from Bijnor to Narora), the population of dolphins was around 20 in 1993-94. Now it has nearly doubled. In the Chambal river, the dolphin population was around 45 in 1985 - now it is 83.

Could you tell us more about the Gangetic Dolphin?
It is a blind and harmless animal. The parental care (behaviour) is similar to humans. I have seen the birth of a young dolphin and how parental care has been taken by the mother and few other female dolphins during the birth. Although it is blind, it can locate prey as well as navigate through threats to its life.

How can the plight of dolphins be highlighted?
Fishermen could be made aware through street plays or film shows, for school children it may be slide shows, lectures, competitions (debates, writing slogans). In the case of villagers, a rally might make sense and work too.

How can children help more?
Children can volunteer to go to villages along the banks of the river and talk to villagers and other students and make them aware. They can create informative posters, slogans and stories, develop a pressure group to write to the government and help in motivating the authorities to address conservation measures for the protection of dolphins.

How many Gangetic Dolphins still live in the wild?
The dolphin population is estimated to be around 1,800. You can see how serious it is if you compare this with the figure in 1982. That year there were 5,000-6,000 dolphins.