Our Correspondent :
The dead dolphins are very often found floating in the different rivers and canals of Sundarbans and its adjacent (south) coastal areas (of the country). In many cases injury-marks are found on the dead bodies of the dolphins. Locals guessed that dolphins after being caught in the banned fishing nets like current nets, funs nets, bendi nets etc. are beaten to death by a number of dishonest fishermen. Iraboti species of dolphins which are now on the verge of extinction are living in the rivers and canals of Sundarbans and its adjacent rivers like Baleswar, Paira and Biskhali under Barguna district.
On July 17 (2021) afternoon a dead body of a female dolphin that was found floating was recovered by the forest guards of Sundarbans from Sharankhola-Bogi Bharani canal, adjacent to Sharankhola Forest Range Office under the Eastern Division of Sundarbans in Bagerhat district. Its weight was 20 kgs and length was 4 feet 3 inches while there were 72 teeth in its mouth. Later, it was buried near the Forest Range Office by the forest department. The forest guards guessed that the dolphin died at least 3 days ago. But they could not ascertain the reasons behind its death.
On May 25 (2021), a dolphin was caught in a fishing net of the fishermen in the river Panguchi of Morrelganj, an adjacent Upazila of Sundarbans (under the Eastern Division of Sundarbans). Ultimately the dolphin died in the hands of the fishermen,
On March 03 (2021) another dead dolphin was recovered from the char land of the river Mara (dead) Bhola that separates Sundabans from the human habitations of Sharankhola Upazila.
In the first week of the month of May (2021) three (03) big sized dead dolphins floated to the seas beach of Kuakata (in Patuakhali district) with the difference of only three days. Each of those three dolphins was 10 feet in length. Injury-marks were noticed on their bodies. Previously (before this) a number of dead dolphins and whelks floated to Kuakata sea beach.
On July 05 (2020), a severely injured but dead floating dolphin was recovered from the river Paira of Mirjaganj under Patuakhali district.
International Environment Organization- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) enlisted dolphins of the Gangetic species in red list means they are much endangered aquatic animals a few years ago.
According to a source learnt from the Wild Life Conservation Society Bangladesh (WCS), as many as 149 dolphins died in Bangladesh alone during the period from 2017 to October, 2019. More than 50 per cent of them died after being caught in the different banned fishing nets like current nets, Funs nets, Bendi nets etc.
Dolphin is a mammal aquatic animal. It is to take oxygen from the air above the water. So it raises its nose above the water both in the rivers and sea to take oxygen after a regular interval. In the river on many occasions they were caught in the different kinds of fishing nets. As a result, they cannot take oxygen and consequently, they are suffocated to death.
According to the Wild Animal Preservation Act of 2012, killing of dolphin animals is a cognizable offence. An advanced project (EPASI) was undertaken by Bangladesh Government a few years ago in order to increase and protect the abode (habitation place) for the important and valuable aquatic animals, particularly for dolphins.
The project styled as ‘EPASI’ was implemented at a cost of Tk.13 crores. Md. Abdul Aziz, Professor of Zoology department of Jahangirnagar University was the expert of the Research Team of the Project. He told the newsmen that only a few year ago the upstream of the rivers Baleswar, Paira and the rivers of Sundarbans were the abodes or wandering places for dolphins of both Iraboti and the Gangetic spices. But at present dolphins are barely large enough there.
Prof. Md.Abdul Aziz added, due to the use of banned fishing nets in the estuaries of the rivers unabatedly the abodes of the dolphins are gradually reducing. Those fishing nets are very dangerous for the existence of dolphins. Besides this, the loss of navigability of the river is another important factor for this.
Experts opine that Iraboti spice dolphins are gradually extinguishing from the world. At present there are only 7 thousand Irabot spice dolphins in the world and out of them 5 thousand 8 hundred are available in Bangladesh alone. There are not found more than 2 hundred dolphins at a time in any place of the world. In this respect Bangladesh is a rare example.
The reason behind this is the favourable and balanced mixture of sweet and saline water in the rivers of the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
The experts further opine that due to increasing the pollution of the environment, loss of navigability of the rivers, catching fish with banned fishing nets from the rivers and the increasing movements of the mechanized boats in the rivers are gradually squeezing the habitation places of dolphins. If in such a way the human disturbances are gradually increasing in the habitation places of dolphins it will be very difficult on the part of the dolphins to survive in future.
