A Gangetic dolphin

Jorhat, Feb. 27: It was love at first sight for the professor from Wales. ?Something has to be done to protect these beautiful animals,? he made up his mind immediately.

The ?beautiful animals? are the Gangetic dolphins, which have swum their way to Schedule I of the endangered list.

Director of the School of Biological Science, University of Wales, John Gold?s joy knew no bounds when he first spotted three Gangetic dolphins leaping playfully out of the depths of the Brahmaputra near Neemati in Jorhat district during a survey conducted by Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation society, yesterday.

The sight moved the professor so much that he decided to conduct a research on protection and preservation of Gangetic dolphins. ?Our university will soon take up a project to work on the preservation and protection of the Gangetic dolphin. Otherwise it would be too late for these beautiful animals.?

Prof. Gold told The Telegraph that it had become a matter of great concern that the Gangetic dolphin, found only in the Brahmaputra and the Ganga in India and the Meghna and the Karnaphuli in Bangladesh, had beenall but wiped out in the last few decades.

?No serious effort appears to have been made to preserve this wonderful species,? said Prof. Gold, who was here to participate in the three-day seminar-cum-workshop on preservation and protection of the Gangetic dolphin.

According to a survey conducted by A. Wakit in 2004-2005 under the Gangetic dolphin research and conservation programme of Aaranyak, only 240 dolphins were found in the Brahmaputra river system. The figure compares poorly with the 266 dolphins found in the river in 1992-1993.

The Englishman, who is here with his wife Linda, said only a few organisations and individuals in this part of the world were showing some interest in preservation of river dolphins. As such, a major effort to preserve the species was the need of the hour.

?After I go back to England, I will work on a project to protect the river dolphins from becoming extinct,? the professor from the University of Wales said.

Prof. Gold has been working on several projects on sea dolphins in his country. But this is the first time that his university has shown interest in taking up projects on river dolphins.

According to Wakit, the main reason behind the decline in the population of river dolphins is rampant poaching. ?Many fishermen catch the Gangetic dolphin for the oil found in its body. It acts as a balm for rheumatic pain. Moreover, the dolphins get easily entangled in fishing nets, as they are blind.?

He said the only way to protect the dolphins found in the Brahmaputra was to start an awareness campaign among the people residing along the river?s banks.

The three-day workshop was part of a new drive launched by Aranyak. It was attended by members of several NGOs, fishermen and forest department officials.

The next phase of the project will be held at Goalpara in March. ?A central workshop will be held after the Goalpara seminar to sort out the future course of action,? Wakit said.