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146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins sighted in Chilika
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- Odisha Forest Department officials, wildlife experts & researchers recently sighted 146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake, which boasts of the highest single lagoon population of the aquatic mammal in the world.
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- Dolphin Census:
(1) The dolphin census was simultaneously taken up in Chilika and off Odisha coast.
(2) Counting of Dolphins estimated using Hydrophones.
(3) Dolphins population Stabilise: The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) is elated as the direct sighting of 146 dolphins meant that its population in the lake would stabilise well above 150.
(4) Last year count: According to last year’s census, the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika was 151.
(5) Migration of Dolphins:
(a) Dolphins are colonising new areas, which had been freed from encroachments by prawn farming gherries.
(b) Population is likely to increase in the next couple of years as there are enough signs of dolphins migrating from the Satpada side to other areas.
(c) According to hydrophone monitoring carried out round the year in Chilika, the highest number of Irrawaddy dolphins (20-25) was moving around Rajhans, followed by the Magarmukh and Malatikuda areas.
- About Irrawaddy Dolphin:
(1) The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
(2) IUCN Status: Endangered
(3) Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS): It is listed on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the CMS.
(a) It is listed on Appendix I as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range and CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
(b) Appendix II: as it has an unfavorable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organized by tailored agreements.
Sources
The Hindu