Guwahati, May 21: A carcass of Gangetic dolphin was found floating at Pahumara River in Assam’s Barpeta district on Saturday.
“The locals spotted the dolphin at Pahumara river on Saturday morning. They informed us, and a forest team from Barpeta Road range office and members of Aranyak NGO rushed to the spot and recovered the dead Gangetic dolphin,” said a forest official.
He added that the dolphin was estimated to be around 70 kg. “It was found floating in the river. We have brought the dolphin to Brapeta Road range office,” he said.
The official further stated, “We suspect that the Dolphin died after getting caught in a fishing net. The autospy of the Dolphin was conducted but most of the organs of the dolphin were decomposed. The Dolphin did not die of any disease.”
The Ganges dolphin was recognized as the State Aquatic Animal of Assam in 2008 and declared as the National Aquatic Animal of India in 2009.
In the Indian subcontinent, river dophins are found in the river system of Ganges and Brahmaputra, Meghna in Bangladesh, and Karnaphuli in Nepal. Presently, their population in India is estimated to be 3,000-3,500. The Brahmaputra has around 250-300 of them.
Dolphin, included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, are frequently killed by poachers for their skin.
