Gangetic dolphin killed in Bihar

PATNA - Suspected poachers killed a dolphin on the banks of river Ganga in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, an official said Sunday.

A 1.5 metre long dolphin was found dead in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary area Saturday.

“A dolphin was found dead in Raghpur riverine area. Some local people informed forest officials about this. The dolphin is suspected to have been killed by poachers,” Divisional Forest Officer Nand Kishore said.

He said Bihar’s Chief Wildlife Warden B.A. Khan has asked the forest officials to identify the killers and take stern action against them under the Wildlife Protection Act.

R.K. Sinha, a well-known expert on Gangetic dolphins, said more than a dozen dolphins had been reportedly killed in different parts of Bihar in 2009.

Sinha, head of the zoology department of Patna University, said it was unfortunate that a dolphin was found killed near the office of the district magistrate of Patna last year.

Experts estimate the current population of Gangetic dolphins at around 2,000. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says that in the 1980s there were around 3,500 in the delta region alone.