SWD rescues yet another stranded dolphin

Third dolphin rescued and released in two weeks

KARACHI: Rescue workers have rescued another stranded Indus River dolphin from a small water canal in Khairpur district, around 200 km from its main habitat - the Sukkur Barrage.

The rescue workers deployed at the Indus Dolphin Conservation Unit located in Sukkur were informed on Tuesday evening that a baby dolphin had been sighted in a small water canal in Faiz Ganj taluka. Upon hearing this, the rescue team, along with local residents, began searching for the exact location of the mammal.

"We reached the point after almost three hours of searching in the canal," said Adnan Ahmed Khan, the deputy conservator of Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) posted in Sukkur.

Khan said that the villagers had been of great help during the rescue operation. "It is not an easy task to rescue and release the baby dolphin back to its habitat," he added.

According to the official data, a total of 14 dolphins have been rescued since February. SWD officials claimed that all of the operations were successful and some of them were unprecedented.

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In the last two weeks alone, three stranded baby dolphins have been rescued and released near the Sukkur Barrage.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, SWD Provincial Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar said that the stranding of dolphins was very common.

"They often swim to small canals," he said, explaining that when the gates of the barrage were opened, the dolphins were often separated from the main waters.

Mahar believed that the operations were successful because of the cooperation of the local community. "People are aware of the value of this mammal. They immediately inform our team members," he added.

SWD officials also said that the irrigation department's officials and the villagers still need to understand the importance of the Indus dolphins.

"It [the dolphin] can die within minutes if not handled properly during the rescue operation," Mahar said. He also said that in the last two operations, the dolphins had been found over 200 kilometres away from the releasing spot - a long distance for the rare creatures to travel.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2019.