Dolphin released in river

Punjab Wildlife Department officials arrested fishermen who captured dolphin after video of it being caught surfaced

LAHORE:

An endangered Indus dolphin, also known as blind dolphin, got caught on a fishermen's hooks while fishing in the river in the Rajanpur district.

The dolphin was freed from the hook and released back into the river.

Punjab Wildlife Department officials arrested the fishermen who had captured the dolphin after the video of it being caught surfaced. The video showed the dolphin being captured unintentionally and a man was heard telling the fishermen to release it back into the water.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Bahawalpur Wildlife Deputy Director Syed Usman Bukhari confirmed that the dolphin was not poached but got caught.

He said, “Instead of reporting the incident to the wildlife department or Rescue 1122, the local fishermen themselves removed the hook and released the dolphin back into the water. Fishermen do not hunt dolphins, but sometimes dolphins get caught in nets during fishing.” The incident took place in the Chacharan Sharif area of Rajanpur on Saturday night. When the fishermen checked the fishing hooks in the morning, they found a dolphin trapped.

According to the authorities, a case has been registered against the people who had caught the dolphin. They have been arrested and their statement that they had released the dolphin back into the Indus River is being investigated.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2024.