The accidental killing of a river dolphin by the bamboo raft near Guwahati has rekindled the debate to save the rare mammal, which has just 267 numbers in Assam.
The fully-grownDolphin was found perched in the bamboo raft with broken jaw in Guwahati whenbamboos were being offloaded. The dolphin was handed over to Assam State Zoo.
TheZoo officials and the raft owners have concluded that Dolphin might have triedto capture smaller fish stuck in the bamboo raft and in the process entrappedits own trunk.
Thisis for the first time a reported death due to Bamboo raft was reported as generallyit gets killed by gill net entanglement and poaching. Each year 10-15accidental deaths are reported.
Accordingto Abdul Wakid, who surveyed the river Brahmaputra twice the entire stream, theBrahmaputra and its tributaries have just 267 dolphins. Out of Which Brahmaputrahas 212, Subansiri has 26 and Kulsi has 29 river dolphins.
Dolphinsare killed for meat and oil. 'Missing' tribes of Eastern Assam kill dolphinsmainly for meat, whereas in Western Assam, they are killed for oil.
Mostof the riverine villagers in remote areas believe that dolphin oil hasmedicinal value and they use it to treat different rheumatic diseases , saysWakid. Dolphin poaching for medicinal oil and for the oil bait fishery is oneof the major causes of Dolphin mortality in Assam. Therefore extensivecommunity-based conservation initiatives or awareness programmes can reduce themortality rate of this species.
Industriesdischarging pollutants to water of Brahmaputra River pollutes the Dolphinhabitats. Again, deforestation as well as industrlistaion in the riparian zonesand in highlands of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh has been creating siltation inthe riverbed, resulting into the lowering of water depth.
SinceDolphins prefer deeper water, therefore, low water depth through siltation hasresulted into habitat loss.
