Signs of Hope: 'Good news' for the Indus River dolphins
WWF-Pakistan and an international researcher Dr. Gillian T. Braulik have been working on a program for the conservation of the Indus River dolphins since 1999. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
The animal kingdom has suffered the most ever since the onset of urbanisation, industrialisation, resulting in an explosion in human population and pollution, all of which have affected not only the natural habitats of animals, but has also become the reason for some of them being on the brink of extinction, both on land and in water.
Pakistan is among very few countries where fresh water River Dolphins are found, and are unique not just for their characteristics but also, for being on the top of the food chain in the river where they are found. River dolphins of such species are on the list of critically endangered which are in China and in Latin America.
WWF-Pakistan and an international researcher Dr. Gillian T. Braulik have been working on a program for the conservation of the Indus River dolphins since 1999. The hard work of more than fifteen years has finally shown some hope of preservation of these intelligent mammals – locally known as Bhulan, who have been classified as endangered species.
Indus River dolphins have special characteristics, due to muddy river water they have lost the capability to see, but they have adapted a special sonar abilities like bats, they are not fishes but mammals. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
Almost over a hundred years ago, the Indus River dolphins swam freely to as far as the Himalayas, which has declined to 80 per cent since that time and now they retain to a very thin area towards Punjab and Sindh. Found in just a small portion of the Indus River bed, Bhulan are now found in a small stretch of the river belt from Sindh to Punjab and a small portion of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The major reason for these dolphins ending up on the list of endangered species is the construction of barrages along the river dividing the population into five sub-populations. Their population was also affected due to water pollution, being stranded in irrigation canals and accidentally being caught in fishing nets.
During the launching ceremony of the preliminary Indus River dolphin population assessment, Director General WWF-Pakistan, Hammad Naqi Khan stated that the report was important because it reflected preliminary results with a positive outcome.
The preliminary results of Indus River dolpin survey titled “Signs of hope for the endemic and endangered Bhulan” highlighted significant increase in the population of the species since the program first started.
“These mammals are important for many factors but the most important one is that they are an indicator of the health of the eco-system of the river, because they are on the top of the food chain,” stated Khan.
Khan spoke about the importance of the Indus River and its significance in our country. The river is not just home to dolphins but it is the lifeline of Pakistan’s economy, livelihood of many anglers and the community that depends on the river’s water for irrigation, he added.
The tireless work by the WWF- Pakistan’s team in collaboration with Sindh, Punjab and KPK’s wildlife departments that have been working for the preservation of this specie was also commended.
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WWF-Pakistan’s team rescuing a Bhulan. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
“There are countless challenges we are facing in Pakistan, and here particularly we are talking about the habitat of the wild life which has seen some severe drawbacks due to many occurring factors”.
In spite of the challenges, Khan stated that there was a lot of negative news that went out of our country but added that the report was ‘good news’. “This is a success story and I am so excited about this news.”
Dr. Gillian T. Braulik in her presentation spoke extensively on her research in Pakistan. Dr. Braulik, with the help of WWF started her fieldwork with an internationally recognised methodology, based on international standards used for the survey and identification of mammals.
“Pakistan is special because these kind of particular dolphins are not found anywhere else in the world,” said Dr. Braulik.
“River dolphins are unlike any other dolphins, they are biologically and behaviour wise very different from whales and sea dolphins.”
Speaking on the uniqueness of the dolphins, Dr. Braulik said that they are unique because of the way they swim – on their sides. The movement of Bhulan was first noticed in captivity in clear water.
“They are endemic to Pakistan, which means they are only found in the Indus River and nowhere else in the country.”
Indus River dolphins are mammals, meaning that the female gives birth to a single baby, which is very small up to 19cm long.
“They are very clever and they have a strong social bonding, their brains are incredibly sophisticated with them communicating in their own special language,” said Dr. Braulik while speaking on the intelligence of the animals.
“In 1999 there was very little information documented on the dolphins especially about their locations. In addition, very few people were aware about their existence. There was as such no data available on the number of dolphins existing in the Indus River,” she said.
After every 5 years WWF-Pakistan surveys and counts the numbers of Indus River dolphins. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
That survey took 7 weeks to complete, and was the beginning of the program. Since then, WWF-Pakistan leads a survey after every 5 years. This is the fourth survey that has been conducted this year.
Dr. Braulik spoke on how over the years the numbers have changed which is vital for the conservation and to understand what is happening to these unique species.
“Indus dolphins are incredibly special because they are the only ones that are increasing in number while the rest of the fresh water dolphins elsewhere are in critical numbers.”
Humaira Ayesha, Manager Conservation at WWF-Pakistan, presented the entire process of the survey and how the WWF-Pakistan team identified dolphins over the different barrages where they were found.
“For WWF- Pakistan this (Indus River dolphin) is as dear to us as the Panda logo of the organisation,” she added.
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Pakistan’s Wildlife team along with WWF-Pakistan take every step to rescue Indus River dolphins. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
Speaking on the key threats to Indus River dolphins, Ayesha pointed out that barrages are blocking most of these animals’ movements with them being sometimes stuck in small passages or in shallow parts of the water.
According to her, this specie has also endured a lot due to water pollution resulting from industrialisation. The probability of dolphin mortality is more through getting caught in fishing net due to the easily accessible and heavily fished irrigation canals, explained Ayesha.
Over the previous surveys, the total number of marked dolphins showed that they have gradually increased in number and the highest were sighted and counted in Sukkur.
Though the population of these dolphins has been increasing, for the future more initiatives need to be taken to ensure that these numbers remain the same while strengthening the conservation efforts which need more research in this field.
