24 November 2006

Another victim of man?

The Yangtze baiji, not to be confused with an onion bhaji, is (or was) a fresh water dolphin that lives in the Yangtze River and its tributaries and numbers amongst the oldest fresh water mammals. Unfortunately it may already be extinct. The effects of massive pollution, brutal fishing techniques (dynamite and electrocution amongst them) and the basic push of mankind into its habitat may have proved too much. Scientists are scouring the river in search of extant specimens but it has been two years since any have been seen in the wild.

Here's hoping.

You can find out more at baiji.org.

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