The Yangtze River loses a Friend

Dolphins are beautiful miraculous creatures. They are gentle and smart aquatic mammals. Due to heavy over fishing, ship traffic, and pollution, it is a sad announcement to say that the Baiji white dolphin has now been declared extinct. This marks the first time in over 50 years that a large aquatic mammal has been declared extinct.

A six week search was conducted through the Yangtze River, the dolphin’s habitat, but today the after no Baiji was sighted, the status was declared. The dolphin had existed on the planet for over 20 million years and was honored and respected by the Chinese. The same damage to the Yangtze River is responsible to the rapid decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise. The porpoise’s population is now below 400.

The Baiji Foundation’s website has posted the following on the Yangtze River’s chemical composition:

In more than 30 samples of water and suspended particles a set of 260 organic substances, 20 trace metals, major ions and nutrients are currently being analyzed, and will be given to the Chinese administration and be made available in an international scientific journal. Preliminary results will be commented on in a short report in spring 2007.

For more information, please visit the foundation’s website.