Stranded Indus dolphin dies

Endangered blind dolphin had strayed into shallow waters

KARACHI:

Another Indus River Dolphin has been found dead in Khairpur's Mirwah Canal on Tuesday, said the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) on Tuesday.

According to the wildlife officials, the dolphin was sighted by the villagers in Ali Nawah Wah, a canal also known as Mirwah, who informed the department without any delay so that it could be rescued.

The SWD team from Sukkur planned to rescue the stranded dolphin from the water on Tuesday, but they were informed in the morning at 11am that the dolphin baby had died due to "unknown circumstances".

"We were informed by the villagers that the dolphin had died," confirmed Sukkur SWD Deputy Director Adnan Hamid Khan. "The cause of death is still unknown," he said, adding that water in the canal was not deep.

Khan said that an inquiry will be initiated and stern action will be taken against those found guilty. "I do not think anyone harmed the mammal," he said, adding that a probe will reveal the facts of the incident.

Khan also said that strict action will be taken even against his own team in case of negligence. The rescue team will transport the body to Sukkur Indus Dolphin Sanctuary for further investigation, he added.

Read More: Two stranded blind Indus dolphins rescued in Sukkur

This is the fourth death of the endangered Indus Dolphin this year, as per the official data of the SWD.

Confirming the mortality, SWD provincial Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar said that the mammal had died before the rescue operation was initiated. "There is almost no chance to successfully rescue a dolphin stranded in a small water channel," he explained.

Sources revealed that the body was transported to Sukkur on Tuesday for autopsy. The dolphin will be buried in the graveyard dedicated for them located near the sanctuary in Sukkur.

A survey conducted by the SWD in 2019 concluded that the total population of dolphins in canals between Guddu and Sukkur Barrages was 1,419 at the time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2021.