In less than 24 hours, another dead dolphin found stuck in Sukkur Barrage

The dolphins seem to have been poisoned by poachers, says conservator.

SUKKUR: Another body of the endangered blind Indus dolphin was found stuck in one of the gates of Sukkur Barrage on Wednesday.

The body was decomposed and was stuck in Gate 24. Another dead dolphin was found on Tuesday, stuck in Gate 58. A total of 18 dolphins have died since January.  According to the deputy conservator of the Sukkur wildlife department, Taj Mohammad Shaikh, this dolphin was six feet long and weighed 40 kilogrammes. No mark of any wound or indications of being tangled in a net were found. He said that it died approximately two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a three-member team of the wildlife department, headed by deputy conservator Hyderabad, Fahmida Firdous, is surveying the areas from Guddu to Sukkur Barrage to find out the cause of the deaths.

There were around 950 dolphins in the river citing a February 2011 survey, said assistant conservator Ghotki Ghulam Mohammad Gadani. Out of these, 918 dolphins inhabit the area between Guddu and Sukkur barrages, while 32 live between the Sukkur and Kotri barrages.

Gadani said that previously one or two dolphins used to die each year but this year, the rate has increased, which is quite alarming.

According to Gadani, poachers seem to be poisoning the dolphins by adding chemicals to the river water to kill fish.

Firdous declined to comment before submitting her survey report to the authorities. She said that samples were sent to Karachi University’s microbiology laboratory for tests.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2011.