Endangered Dolphins
Endangered dolphins are not something we hear about very often. Since tune became dolphin friendly the number of dolphins being killed in the wild went down, so the plight of endangered dolphins around the world seems to have taken a back seat.
Unfortunately, there are at least 6 species of dolphins that are endangered, and one is probably already extinct. The Baiji or Yangtze River dolphin, native to the Yangtze River in China, has not been recently spotted in the wild, despite attempts by researchers.
The Baiji dolphin lives, or lived as the case may be, in the freshwaters of China's Yangtze River. Destruction of their habitat is cited as a main reason for their demise. This includes pollution, industrial expansion, toxic waste dumping and careless fishing.
Other endangered dolphins include:
• Amazon River Dolphin, a species of river dolphin that is threatened by development and man's invasion of the areas in and around the Amazon River.
• Chinese White Dolphin, also called Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin or Pink Dolphin, seriously threatened by industrial expansion into the waters around Hong Kong.
• Hector's Dolphins, which are one of the smallest and rarest species of dolphin. They are found off the coast of New Zealand.
• Indus River Dolphin, which is native to Pakistan.
• La Plata River Dolphins are native to the coast of Brazil and span down to Argentina. This is the smallest known species of river dolphin.
An animal does not become endangered by accident. There are very specific actions that can cause an animal population to decrease, virtually all of which are related to humans. Here's why these dolphin species are in danger:
• Fishing Nets. Despite efforts to alleviate this problem, dolphins still get caught up in the nets used by commercial fishing boats. Though this issue may have been solved in the United States, it remains a problem in other countries.
• Overfishing. Even though dolphins are protected by law, they are still caught for food in some regions of the world to such an extent that their populations are threatened.
• Pollution. This is one of the biggest problems facing many animals in the wild. Pollution is especially dangerous to dolphins because they are at the top of the food chain. That means that they are affected by pollutants in their environment as well as in the fish they eat.
• Industrial Expansion. Humans frequently intrude on the natural habitats of dolphins when they build near or in a waterway that is populated by dolphins. This is the case with the construction of the Chep Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong, which threatens the already rare population of the Chinese white dolphin, also known as the pink dolphin or Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.
The extinction of any animal is dangerous to the entire planet, because of the fragile ecosystem that is balanced by all animals and plant life. This is even more serious when extinction threatens an animal at the top of the food chain, like the dolphin. While human needs and growth obviously must continue, it cannot be done without considering the well being of creatures with which we share this planet.