irrawaddyAn astonishing discovery of thousands of Irrawaddy river dolphins in the waterlogged jungles of Bangladesh has raised hopes for the future of the vulnerable species.

Other known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Philippines and Indonesia are estimated to number in the hundreds, prompting conservationists to place the creatures on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s “red list” of threatened species.

But a study by World Conservation Society researchers suggests up to 6,000 Irrawaddy could be living in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove forest and nearby waters in the Bay of Bengal.

“This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins,” said WCS researcher Brian D. Smith. “Bangladesh clearly serves as an important sanctuary for Irrawaddy dolphins, and conservation in this region should be a top priority.”

Irrawaddy dolphins are related to killer whales, or orcas, growing up to eight feet in length. They are extremely social animals and have ben known to cooperate with fishermen in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, herding fish towards boats and nets.

But they are highly vulnerable to human encroachment on their natural environment as the recent extinction of China’s Yangtze dolphin, or baiji, demonstrated. Researchers recorded two cases of Irrawaddy which had drowned after becoming entangled with fishing nets – an occurence which fishermen say is common.

Declining fresh water supplies caused by upstream water diversion for irrigation and human consumption and climate change have also impacted heavily on the Irrawaddy’s habitat.

Howard Rosenbaum, the director of WCS’s ocean giants cetacean programme, told the Guardian newspaper that Irrawaddy numbers in areas impacted by human development were low and said further action to protest the species was necessary. The WCS has also asked Bangladesh to establish a sanctuary for the dolphins.

“We’re really excited and this finding gives us great hope,” Rosenbaum said,” but this species is still very vulnerable.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Conservation, Discoveries, Mammals, Rivers, Whales, Wild. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.