The Extinction of the Baiji
January 30th 2007 07:55
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Sometimes it really does seem like we're fighting a losing battle. The Baiji (also called the Chinese or Yangzte River Dolphin) appears to be the latest animal to become extinct. It's the first large mammal to become extinct in some time, and the first water-dwelling mammal to die out since the Caribbean Monk Seal disappeared back in the 1950s. This is a sad time for ecology.
The Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, China, along with the help of the Swiss Baiji organisation, conducted a six-week survey of the Yangzte River in November and December 2006 (yes, only a month ago) with the express purpose of documenting Baiji numbers. Their search yielded no finds, and the dolphin was declared 'functionally extinct'. This means that, for all intents and purposes, it has died out or that it's impossble for the population to recover due to diminished numbers. Even if the survey missed one or two of the creatures, it will not be enough for the species to survive beyond their years.
The Baiji has always existed in a delicate balance with the environment. Freshwater River Dolphins are rare creatures and seldom seen by humans due to their shy nature. The industrialisation of China throughout the 20th century has made it hard for the creatures to survive in the Yangzte River, and very few of them have ever survived in captivity for more than a few months - making it hard for zoological groups to preserve the species via a breeding program. The last time Baiji calves were seen was in the 1980s.
There are four other species of River Dolphins left, though all are critically endangered. These species are the La Plata Dolphin, which lives in coastal waters off eastern South America, the Boto, which lives in the Amazon, the Ganges and Indus River Dolphins, that live in India and Pakistan, and the Irrawaddy Dolphin, which lives in South-East Asia.
David Attenborough's excellent series, 'The Life of Mammals' features footage of both the Baiji and Boto.
For more info, check out the Baiji website - Baiji
Sometimes it really does seem like we're fighting a losing battle. The Baiji (also called the Chinese or Yangzte River Dolphin) appears to be the latest animal to become extinct. It's the first large mammal to become extinct in some time, and the first water-dwelling mammal to die out since the Caribbean Monk Seal disappeared back in the 1950s. This is a sad time for ecology.
The Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, China, along with the help of the Swiss Baiji organisation, conducted a six-week survey of the Yangzte River in November and December 2006 (yes, only a month ago) with the express purpose of documenting Baiji numbers. Their search yielded no finds, and the dolphin was declared 'functionally extinct'. This means that, for all intents and purposes, it has died out or that it's impossble for the population to recover due to diminished numbers. Even if the survey missed one or two of the creatures, it will not be enough for the species to survive beyond their years.
The Baiji has always existed in a delicate balance with the environment. Freshwater River Dolphins are rare creatures and seldom seen by humans due to their shy nature. The industrialisation of China throughout the 20th century has made it hard for the creatures to survive in the Yangzte River, and very few of them have ever survived in captivity for more than a few months - making it hard for zoological groups to preserve the species via a breeding program. The last time Baiji calves were seen was in the 1980s.
There are four other species of River Dolphins left, though all are critically endangered. These species are the La Plata Dolphin, which lives in coastal waters off eastern South America, the Boto, which lives in the Amazon, the Ganges and Indus River Dolphins, that live in India and Pakistan, and the Irrawaddy Dolphin, which lives in South-East Asia.
David Attenborough's excellent series, 'The Life of Mammals' features footage of both the Baiji and Boto.
For more info, check out the Baiji website - Baiji
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