Gangesowy suzu, a dolphin living in the cloudy waters of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, can become extinct by human activity. As BBC writes, over 6.3 thousand individuals of this genre are threatened because of hunting and tourist cruises.
The longest and the Blessed River of India – Ganges – is the house of thousands of ganges Suzu (Planeanist gangetica), also called Ganges or Indian dolphin. As reported by the BBC, the survival of this species is at risk.
Threatened species
Gangesowy Suzu is a national water animal of India. He lives in the cloudy waters of Ganges and Brahmaputry. It differs from a species living in the seas, among others, that it spends most of his time under water, has a long, beak -like muzzle and is almost completely blind. This species was classified by the International Union of Nature Conservation (IUCN) as threatened.
The Indian Ministry of the Environment published on March 3 a report conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India organization. It concerned the state of the population of ganges. Researchers wrote in it that about 6327 individuals of this species live in 58 Indian rivers. Scientists conducted research in 2021-2023. In addition, the analysis showed that from 1980 about 500 dolphins were killed; Many of them were accidentally caught in the fishing network or killed on purpose.
According to experts, Suzu is still killed for their meat and fish oil, from which oil used as a fishing lure is obtained. Animals also collide with boats or entangle in fishing line. According to Indian regulations regarding wild nature, not only deliberate, but also accidental killing of dolphins is clocked as “hunting” and is associated with strict penalties. As a result, many poor fishermen quietly get rid of ink to avoid fines.
Ganges suchShutterstock
Tourist cruises can lead to their extinction
Tourist cruises, which have gained popularity in India in the last decade, are also a threat to ganges suzu. Dozens of them take place on the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. According to one of Indian ecologists, Ravindra Kumar Sinha, the movement of ships can lead the ganges suzu to extinction, as was the case with Chinese dolphins in the Yangtha River.
“There is no doubt that the disturbances caused by cruises will have a serious impact on dolphins that are sensitive to noise,” said Ravindra Kumar Sinha in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. Poor eyesight, slowly moving in the water, make these dolphins particularly susceptible to collisions with boats.
Chinese dolphins, also known as Baiji's dolphins, are considered extinct, which human activity was to lead to.
Source of the main photo: Shutterstock