Population Pakistani dolphin increases

Bad ecological situation and other reasons brought high level extinction dorsal fin-less Indus River Dolphins. But position improved in recent years. The population dolphins living in Pakistan 's Indus River has increased.

Photo: Population Pakistani dolphin increases

The blind, dorsal fin-less Indus River Dolphin, which occurs only in Pakistan , increased in number from 1,100 in 2001 to the current number of around 1,330, according to results of a March-April 2006 survey released in the capital, Islamabad , on Wednesday.

But the fresh water mammal could still slide into extinction if more isn't done to protect its habitat, said Gail Braulik, a dolphin biologist and the British lead scientist of the project, part of the Environment Ministry's Pakistan Wetlands Program.

"A ban on hunting them 30 years ago may have had a positive impact down the line, but part of the Wetlands Program is to investigate ways of relocating dolphins from high population density areas to those of low density," Braulik told The Associated Press.

Researchers found that excessive use of water for agriculture, the spilling of pesticides and other industrial chemicals into the Indus River as well as poor water conservation practices had reduced the dolphins' habitat.

But the animal's highly sensitive sonar abilities allow them to pass easily through the Indus ' hazy, silt-filled waters and to detect and catch fish and crustaceans, reports the AP.

N.U.