Indus Blind Dolphin found in the River Indus is facing extinction owing to the negligence of Sindh Wildlife Department. It has been declared endangered species in the Red Data Book of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Its numbers are declining rapidly because of various factors most important of which are water pollution, poaching and fragmentation of habitat due to barrages.
A number of industrial units discharge their waste into the river through pipelines, which is a great threat to marine life, especially Indus Blind Dolphins. Very often many dolphins are seen stranded in the irrigation canals.
Indus Blind Dolphin is one of the world’s rarest mammals and the second most threatened river species. It is also known as ‘Andhi Bulhan’. It gives birth to one baby in a year. The dolphin is totally blind but, surprisingly, it can differentiate between bright and dark.
The dolphin has been dwelling in the River Indus for centuries. It is found only in Pakistan—in only the lower Indus River basin, in fact. It is one of the 39 species of the dolphins found in the world.
The Indus Blind Dolphin was also found in abundance in the River Indus from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa to the delta region in Sindh till about a century ago. In the past, it also moved frequently in Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum.
Sindh Wildlife Department has declared the area from Sukkur to Guddu barrages ‘Indul Blend Dolphin Sanctuary’.
The blind dolphin is one of the four species of dolphins that can survive in freshwaters. One of them is found in the River Amazon in North America called Boto, one in the River Nixie in China and the third one called Soso in the rivers Ganges and Megna, lying between India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
The mature Indus Blind Dolphin weighs between 100 and 120 kg and has a body length of about five to seven feet. A newborn dolphin weighs about 2-3 kg with a length of about two to three feet. They are primarily found in the deep waters of the rivers, but can also be found in shallow areas.
The Andhi Bullhan breathes through a blow-hole located on the top of its head, which is directly connected to the lungs. It prefers to live in groups at the river basins and in canals.
It has longer flippers than saltwater dolphins have. They help them to move easily. After every one or one and a half minute the dolphin comes to the surface of the water to breathe and then dives back to the deep water.
At present there are about 1200 dolphins living in this stretch of the River Indus.
Indus Blind Dolphins are being poached on a large scale because its skin and bones fetch a very high price and are used in medicines.
Sindh Wildlife Department is not keen to secure the unique blind dolphin. No concrete measures have been taken despite various instructions given by the relevant authorities.
A research has claimed that these dolphins become blind because of muddy water of Indus, but a few scientists believe that Indus River dolphins are inherently blind. Some researchers believe that it finds its way and food with the help of echolocation or through the system of rays. The Dolphin eats fish and invertebrates such as clams, prawns, carp, catfish, gobies and herring.
Hussain Bux Bhagat, Conservator Wildlife Department Sindh, said that the dolphin’s population was affected by recent floods in Sindh. Whenever there is a flood, it goes downstream Sukkur, which creates immense threat to its life.
Those 25 percent of Indus Blind Dolphins that live between Guddu and Sukkur barrages may have been stranded and there was a chance of casualties too, he said.
He further said that the department is taking every possible measure for safety of the Dolphins.
Nasir Panhwar, Programme Manager, WWF Sindh, said that there were chances of dolphin travelling to canals and getting stranded where it might be hunted or could die of starvation.
It has been witnessed that all countries except Pakistan are taking serious initiatives for the protection of this species as the IUCN has declared this dolphin “unique and endangered”. Unfortunately the authorities of Sindh Wildlife Department are not performing their role properly.
If serious measures are not taken by the government of Sindh, the country might lose this unique species.
It is the responsibility of Sindh Wildlife Department to take stern action against factories discharging toxic waste into the river. It is also the responsibility of Environmental Protection Agency and factories owners to take some serious steps to secure the endangered dolphin.
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