Summary:
Bijnor: The river dolphin census in five districts of western UP — Meerut, Bijnor, Amroha, Bulandshahr and Hapur — ended on Sunday with a count which shows an increase from 26 dolphins last year to 32 this year. It is listed as an endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Book and as a Flagship Species by WWF. It is placed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.The census team also sighted other aquatic animals like gharial, black-headed ibis, black-balled tern and brown-headed gulls in this area.Apart from the DFO of Bijnor, Meerut’s DFO Aditi Sharma and Bulandshahar’s DFO VK Jain also participated in the census. Officials said it was heartening news for all wildlife lovers and also a good sign for the Gangetic ecosystem.The five-day census was carried out on a 207km stretch from Ganga barrage in Bijnor to Narora in Bulandshahr district by World Wide Fund for Nature-India and the forest department.According to Bijnor DFO M Semmaran, “Last year, there were 26 dolphins but now, the number has risen to 32, including 12 males, 15 females, three sub-adults and two calves.” The dolphins, including calves, were found to be in good health.Once found abundantly in rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, the Gangetic dolphin is the most threatened cetacean and among the world’s most threatened mammals..