Gangetic dolphin beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh

A video of a Gangetic dolphin being beaten to death by a group of men in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district has gone viral on social media.

• The incident took place on December 31, 2020, in the shallow waters of the Sharda canal near a village.

Why would anyone do this to one of the warmest and most compassionate creatures in the world. #DolphinKilling #Pratapgarh pic.twitter.com/FAkMj76xK5

— Shreya Dhoundial (@shreyadhoundial) January 8, 2021

• The Gangetic River Dolphin is an endangered species and is recognised as the National Aquatic Animal.

• An FIR has been lodged under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, at the Nawabganj police station.

• Under this section, the accused, if held guilty, shall be punished with an imprisonment of 3-7 years and a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.

• According to the Section 9 of the act, no person shall hunt any wild animal specified in Schedules I, II, III and IV except as provided under section 11 and section 12.

Ganges river dolphin

• Ganges river dolphins are protected under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

• India celebrates October 5 every year as the ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’ as this day the Ganga Dolphins were declared National Aquatic Animal in 2010.

• Ganges river dolphin is facing severe threats from water development projects, Pollution, hunting and death due to accidental catch in fishing gear.

• in August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced ‘Project Dolphin’ to boost the conservation of both river and sea dolphins in India.

• The Ganges river dolphin (Plantanista gangetica) can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind.

• They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind.

• The Gangetic dolphin is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world. It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.

• Various estimates suggest that the Gangetic dolphin population in India could be about 2,500-3,000. However, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo had told Lok Sabha last year that there were about 1,272 dolphins in Uttar Pradesh and 962 in Assam.