Gangetic dolphin killed in Bihar
April 11th, 2010 - 12:06 pm ICT by IANSPatna, April 11 (IANS) Suspected poachers killed a dolphin on the banks of river Ganga in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, an official said Sunday.
A 1.5 metre long dolphin was found dead in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary area Saturday.
“A dolphin was found dead in Raghpur riverine area. Some local people informed forest officials about this. The dolphin is suspected to have been killed by poachers,” Divisional Forest Officer Nand Kishore said.
He said Bihar’s Chief Wildlife Warden B.A. Khan has asked the forest officials to identify the killers and take stern action against them under the Wildlife Protection Act.
R.K. Sinha, a well-known expert on Gangetic dolphins, said more than a dozen dolphins had been reportedly killed in different parts of Bihar in 2009.
Sinha, head of the zoology department of Patna University, said it was unfortunate that a dolphin was found killed near the office of the district magistrate of Patna last year.
Experts estimate the current population of Gangetic dolphins at around 2,000. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says that in the 1980s there were around 3,500 in the delta region alone.
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- Dolphin found dead in Patna - Jun 03, 2010
- Three Ganga dolphins found dead in Patna - Apr 29, 2010
- Bihar task force report on Ganga dolphins soon - Jul 20, 2011
- Dolphin sanctuary suffers from funds crunch - Aug 21, 2010
- Dolphin killed by poachers in Patna - Nov 22, 2009
- Activists cry foul over Ganges dolphin poaching - Apr 30, 2010
- Dolphin 'mitras', a helping hand for Ganges river dolphins - May 13, 2010
- Bihar to launch awareness campaign for dolphins - May 03, 2010
- Authorities to check on dolphin hunting in Bihar - Oct 07, 2009
- Killing of Ganges River Dolphins upsets Jairam Ramesh - May 01, 2010
- Tiger dies in Bihar park - Mar 12, 2010
- Call goes out to save the Ganges Dolphin - Feb 24, 2010
Tags: 1980s, banks, bhagalpur district, chief wildlife warden, delta region, district magistrate, dolphin, dolphins, forest officer, forest officials, gangetic dolphin, killers, nature wwf, patna university, poachers, river ganga, sanctuary, stern action, wildlife protection act, zoology department