|
Six
dolphins confirmed at Harike in Punjab
WSN
Network
CHANDIGARH:
Experts of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have confirmed the
sighting of six rare Indus freshwater dolphins in the Harike
barrage. Dolphin coordinator for WWF under the
Wetland
Programme Dr Sandeep Behera and Asgar Nawab, an
expert on aquatic mammals, who were part of the team that traveled
to Harike to confirm the presence of dolphins on Tuesday,
recommended further ecological studies to ascertain the route
through which the dolphin family might have traveled to this water
body.
Traditionally,
Harike is not known as a dolphin habitat and thus, this rare
sighting has delighted conservationists worldwide, the experts said
calling it the biggest conservation highlight of recent times.
Divisional forest officer Basanta Rajkumar at Harike was
the first one to
sight the endangered mammals last month, following which the WWF
experts were invited to confirm the sighting.
The team which
travelled to Harike sanctuary and conducted extensive surveys over
three days, spotted six dolphins of which one was an adult female,
two adult males and three calves. Dr Behera said though these appear
to be
Indus river dolphins, their exact species can only be ascertained
after a detailed study.
“This could be
the Indus
dolphin found in
Pakistan or a
sub-species of it,” he stated .
Interestingly,
the team was informed by villagers living near Harike wetland that
they had seen similar ‘bulan’, as the fish is locally called, about
20-30 years back. “If that be the case, the floods of 1988 may have
brought the dolphins into the river streams from across the barrage
at
Pakistan at some point of time. Nevertheless, the phenomenon needs
more study,” the experts opined. To ensure that the dolphins in the
Beas-Sutlej river system are protected, WWF also recommended that
state government take immediate steps for protection and monitoring
of the dolphin population.
The Forest
Department should depute frontline forest staff for patrolling the
river stretch of
Beas,
till a detailed action plan was formulated for the conservation of
the species, he said. The WWF also suggested extensive outreach and
education programme for local population at the earliest besides a
detailed action plan for long term conservation of dolphins and
other
fresh water species.
9 January 2008
|
Read Also