GANGETIC DOLPHIN

The Gangetic Dolphin

The Ganges river dolphin is one of the few dolphins that have completely lost their eyesight, navigating instead through echolocation. These ancient creatures — survivors of the river systems that sustained the Indus Valley Civilization — are threatened by the same development that threatens the 600 million people who share their waters.

Ganges dolphins are indicators of river health: if the dolphins are dying, the river ecosystem is collapsing, and the millions of people who depend on the river are also at risk. These dolphins face a gauntlet of threats: polluted waters, dam construction that fragments their habitat, fishing nets that drown them, and sand mining that destroys the riverbed habitat where they feed.

In India, the Ganges dolphin is celebrated as the national aquatic animal. The government has launched conservation programs and created dolphin sanctuaries. The population, while still critically low, appears to be stable in some areas — a rare piece of good news in the world of river dolphin conservation.