Deadly trap: Dead river dolphin washes ashore

DERA GHAZI KHAN: A river dolphin was found dead on the bank of River Indus in Dera Ghazi Khan on Wednesday. A spokesman of the Wildlife Department told newsmen that it had been spotted by some villagers who informed the district administration. He said an autopsy of the dolphin showed that it had died of suffocation.  “We believe that it got caught in a net,” he said. Wildlife Department Deputy Director Ali Hassan Sukhera told The Express Tribune that it had been buried near the department office. “The field staff has been asked to present a report about the incident,” he said. “Some fishermen set up nets to catch trout. If a dolphin is caught in it, it is very difficult for it to escape.” This is the third river dolphin found dead this year. Earlier, a dolphin was found dead in January and another on September 5, a few kilometres from Ghazi Ghat. The Indus River dolphin is an endangered species.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2016.