Gangetic River Dolphin are in Danger
India’s Gangetic river dolphin—blind, beaked, and ancient—are teetering on the brink. These “living fossils” need urgent protection as noise, nets, and neglect threaten their future in the murky depths of the Ganges.
India’s longest and most sacred river, the Ganges, is more than just a spiritual artery winding through the heart of the nation. Beneath its murky surface swims one of its most enchanting and endangered residents—the Gangetic river dolphin. But alas, these peculiar creatures are facing a right old rough patch, and if we don’t pull our socks up, we may very well see them disappear altogether.
Now, if you’re picturing sleek dolphins leaping in graceful arcs or sashaying upright through ocean waves, you’re barking up the wrong tree. These riverine cousins are a different kettle of fish altogether. Gangetic dolphins, with their long, beak-like snouts and near-total blindness, swim sideways, spend most of their lives beneath the surface, and look rather like something from a time long gone. And quite right too—they’re often dubbed “living fossils,” remnants of an era when seas covered much of South Asia.
India’s Gangetic and Indus river dolphins—6,327 of them as per a recent survey by the Wildlife Institute of India—are not just rare; they’re endangered, teetering on the edge, as it were. While 6,324 of them call Indian rivers home, only three lonely Indus dolphins were spotted, most of their kind now residing in Pakistan.
The survey, carried out over two years and spanning 58 rivers across 10 states, is the first of its kind and paints a mixed picture. On one hand, it gives us a much-needed headcount; on the other, it’s a wake-up call. Since 1980, at least 500 dolphins have met their end—some accidentally caught in fishing nets, others deliberately hunted. A crying shame, really.
It’s not that the powers that be have been sitting on their hands. In 2009, the Gangetic dolphin was declared the national aquatic animal—a well-deserved honour, you might say. There’s been a flurry of action since: a dedicated conservation plan in 2020, and more recently, the opening of a research centre in 2024. A step in the right direction, to be sure, but conservationists argue we’re still not quite out of the woods.
Poaching remains a sticky wicket. Dolphins are still hunted for their flesh and blubber, the latter used as bait for catfish. Then there’s the problem of bycatch—dolphins getting ensnared in fishing lines and nets. Many fishermen, scared stiff of legal repercussions, chuck the carcasses away quietly rather than report the deaths. Under Indian wildlife law, even accidental dolphin deaths are treated as “hunting” and come with strict penalties.
To make matters worse, river cruise tourism has been making waves—literally and metaphorically. The Ganges and Brahmaputra have become hotspots for cruise ships, which are a real pain in the neck for these sonar-reliant swimmers. Their echolocation gets all muddled in the noise, making navigation a Herculean task. Conservationist Ravindra Kumar Sinha reckons this increased traffic might spell doom for the species, much like what happened to the Baiji dolphins of the Yangtze. And nobody wants that sort of déjà vu.
Let’s not forget, the Ganjatic river dolphin aren’t exactly built for the fast lane. They mature slowly, only reaching breeding age between six and ten years, and the females give birth to a single calf every couple of years. Combine that with poor eyesight, slow swimming speeds, and a noisy, busy river, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Yet, all is not lost. There’s still a glimmer of hope shimmering beneath the Ganges’ surface. Mr Sinha believes that government interventions have thrown these dolphins a much-needed lifeline. “A lot has been done,” he says, “but a lot more remains to be done too.” Spot on, if you ask me.
So here’s the rub: India’s river dolphins are up the creek, and not just without a paddle, but without a quiet, clean, and safe river to swim in. If we don’t act now—if we don’t keep our eye on the ball—we risk losing not just a species, but a symbol of our natural heritage.
And that, dear reader, would be a bloomin’ tragedy.
As adoption of an article published in BBC.
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