A step to save rare Gangetic dolphins

Faiz Rahman SiddiquiFaiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | Nov 21, 2011, 05.32PM IST
KANPUR: "It was just a memorable moment for us. We came across three Gangetic river dolphins while on three hours cruise down the Ganga at Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur in Bihar," Venkatesh and Upendra said.

They returned after attending an awareness session on protecting the Gangetic river dolphins, considered an endangered species. The two were accompanied by their educator Chandrapal Singh, a volunteer of Society For Conservation of Nature and schoolteacher Ganesh Dutt.

A seminar was organised by the Centre for Environment Education ( CEE), north, in co-ordination with Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre (VBREC) at Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur in order to encourage youth conserve Gangetic river dolphins.

"The idea behind this session was to make children conservationists and to change their mindset in becoming more proactive towards conservation of rare Gangetic river dolphins," said, Chandrapal Singh.

"It session very successful and the response from these youngsters was awesome. It was a two-day session and around 30 students from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam took part in it,"said Ganesh Dutt, a teacher of Gyan Sthali School, who had accompanied the students.

"According to wildlife researchers, the population of endangered Gangetic river dolphins has grown to 223 from last year's figure of 175 at the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, India's only dolphin sanctuary, located in Bhagalpur," Upendra, another participant, said. "We would now spread awareness in the recently formed dolphin clubs to increase the count of aquatic animals here in our state. It was just a wonderful experience and we had interaction with students of other states like West Bengal and Bihar," he added.

Gangetic river dolphins fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Sitaram Tagore, an expert on Gangetic river dolphins, who is working in Chambal upstream for dolphin conservation, said that extensive sand mining is killing dolphins in Chambal, particularly in Bharra and Morena districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The Gangetic river dolphins are one of the four freshwater dolphins in the world. The other three are found in Yangtze river in China, Indus in Pakistan and Amazon in South America.

The Gangetic river species, found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, is blind and finds its way and prey in the river waters through 'echoes'.

A cluster of around 25 schools was formed in Etawah to work in collaboration with an NGO. The programme included orientation and training for each student and educator, he added.

There are about 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins in India.

The dolphins, known as platanista gangetica aka 'susu', are rare. Earlier, these were found in Ganga river basin and all linked rivers. But now, its habitat is limited to a few rivers. Brahmaputra, Ganga and Chambal rivers are its natural habitat.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/A-step-to-save-rare-Gangetic-dolphins/articleshow/10817374.cms

Gangetic dolphins highly endangered

Faiz Rahman SiddiquiFaiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | Nov 13, 2011, 12.23PM IST
KANPUR: A couple of students from Etawah, selected by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), north, are to visit Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre (VBREC) and Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur district of Bihar to attend an awareness session on protecting the Gangetic river dolphins, considered an endangered species.
District Inspector of School, Etawah, Gyan Prakash Singh told TOI that Venkatesh Sharma and Sankalp Dwivedi, students of class X at Gyan Sthali Academy, Etawah and their educator Chandrapal Singh, a volunteer of an NGO, Society for Conservation of Nature, will leave for Bhagalpur on Monday night to take part in the two-day awareness session on protecting the Gangetic river dolphins.
"A cluster of nearly 25 schools was formed in the district to work in collaboration with the NGO. The programme included orientation and training for each student and educator," he added.
"It's a unique project of participation of children living near the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah region, where according to wildlife experts, the present number of dolphins is believed to be 95 as per a survey conducted recently. The region, which is a habitat of Gangetic river dolphin, includes districts like Faizabad, Allahabad, Varanasi and Bahraich. These districts form part of the dolphin conservation programme," said Rajiv Chauhan, secretary of the NGO.
The session will commence on November 15. Students and their educators selected from nearly 20 districts across the four states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. There, they will be educated on the dwindling number of Gangetic river dolphins, their breeding period, breeding requirements and protection, besides the importance of not disturbing the habitat of aquatic animals.
It is also planned to rope in the trained students in recently constituted dolphin clubs in schools selected under the programme. This will help students to share their learning, collections, displays and creativeness pertaining to aquatic wildlife.
Recently, 20 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam have been identified for running a two-year-long Gangetic river dolphin conservation education programme in north, east and north-eastern regions of the country.
There are about 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins left in India. The Gangetic river dolphins, known as platanista gangetica, aka 'Susu', are rare. Earlier, it was found in Ganga river basin and all the linked rivers. But now, its habitat is limited to a few rivers. Brahmaputra, Ganga, Chambal rivers are its natural habitats. Gangetic river Dolphins have been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Gangetic-dolphins-highly-endangered/articleshow/10713828.cms