Yangtze River dolphin extinct

An expedition to document the last remaining Chinese river dolphins has returned after a six week survey which covered the entire known range of the baiji or Yangtze River dolphin. A team of international scientists using both visual and acoustic monitoring techniques made a full sweep of the area but failed to record one sighting, leading experts to believe that this species is now extinct.

WDCS is devastated by the loss of the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, the first recorded extinction of a cetacean species to be caused by human activity. The baiji represents a loss not just of a species but a whole family of animals which were endemic to the Yangtze River and evolved separately to other whales and dolphins for over 20 million years. The baiji was described as a ‘living fossil’, remaining as it had, unchanged for at least 3 million years since it first left the sea to swim into the Yangtze River.

WDCS’s International Projects Coordinator, Nicola Hodgins said “The demise of the Baiji should be viewed as a warning and a reflection of the way the actions of human kind can have a devastating effect on wildlife and our natural resources. The Yangtze River, now one of the most highly polluted rivers in the world, supports some 350 million people, as well as wildlife. It has never been more important to act to avoid mass extinction of other vulnerable cetacean species.”

The exact cause of any extinction is impossible to determine, as species may be threatened either directly or indirectly by more than one factor and these factors often interact in unpredictable ways. In this case it appears likely that habitat degradation, including noise and chemical pollution, over-fishing using toxic poisons and explosives and heavy boat traffic were influential in the loss of the species.

Economic boom and a burgeoning population (current population estimates are 1.3 billion) have been putting increasing and unsustainable pressure on the baiji and on the Yangtze itself for a number of years.

It is too late for the baiji, but the Chinese Government is now making efforts to halt the demise of the Yangtze River finless porpoise and other marine species that reside in their waters. Conservation measures designed to protect them are being discussed. WDCS is currently looking at ways that we can support the authorities in China to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises. Our wider work to save threatened species and populations across Asia includes efforts to prevent the Ganges and Indus River dolphins from suffering the same fate as the baiji.

WDCS’s Nicola Hodgins continued “Important lessons can be learned from the extinction of this unique family of animals. This is not an issue that affects only China. Governments all over the world need to sit up and take notice and realise how easily human activity can contribute to the loss of a species.”

The Mediterranean short-beaked common dolphin once numbered in the thousands. Over the last 40 years, populations have declined so rapidly that it is now listed as Endangered in the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red list of threatened species. WDCS co-fund vital research conducted by the Tethys Institute into the feeding habits, distribution and abundance of these animals to enable us to gather the necessary background information required to implement effective management strategies and increase public awareness. WDCS is determined to do everything in our power to contribute to the recovery of the species.

The Irawaddy dolphin lives in the shallow, tropical, and sub tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, around Indonesia, northern Australia, and southeast Asia. A population of Irrawaddy dolphins in Indonesia are known to inhabit the Mahakam River and associated lake systems in East Kalimantan. The IUCN considers their status to be 'critically endangered'. WDCS co-funds a comprehensive conservation and education programme on the Indonesian Irawaddy dolphins through the work of dedicated researchers in the area to support the long term survival of the species.

The two examples above represent just a fraction of the conservation projects WDCS is actively involved with. In conjunction with UNEP and the Convention on Migratory Species, International Year of the Dolphin, 2007, is an opportunity to stress the growing threats to whales and dolphins and make Governments take urgent action to stop the destruction of habitats, chemical and noise pollution, incidental bycatch and the many other dangers facing our whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Nicola continued “It has never been more crucial for WDCS and our supporters to continue working hard to conserve endangered species of dolphin in projects around the world, to support vital research, and to campaign for change at regional, national and international level to protect cetaceans and raise awareness of the issues facing them across the globe, with the goal of seeing the most critically endangered species in the world recover.

Governments, industries and individuals around the world can all play their part to ensure this absolutely does not happen again, elsewhere, to other species of cetaceans, most importantly the Ganges and Indus River dolphins and the few remaining populations of fresh-water Irawaddy dolphin, all of which have declining population figures. There are lessons to be learned and action to be taken……..and WDCS will continue to play its part!”

Source: WDCS