Rare river dolphin 'now extinct'

Rare river dolphin 'now extinct'

news.bbc.co.uk

A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded.

The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals' habitat.

The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.

If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This dolphin was the only type of a particular group of mammals.
I understand that different species are becoming extinct all the time, but we are also discovering new species.
However this will not be the case if the Yangtze is truly gone - as the story says, it's the first large vertebrate to become extinct for 50 years.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I really hate that things like this happen. Most of the humans consider themselfs to be so good at everything. They claim to have a consiousness and other things animals don't have. But in the mean time we allow these animals to die. It's a shame.

Very sad. also sad that many people don't bother about this until it happens.

CX.

The same human hubris which paves the way for extinctions also allows for the categorical statement that something is "now extinct" simply because a group of researchers didn't find any of these dolphins. We're not all powerful and we're not all knowing. The dolphin may or may not be extinct and the researchers should refrain from trying to prove a negative. Extinct maybe, endangered definitely.

As an aside, has any one else sensed the mass wave of anti-China news articles lately? If its not a mass product recall of Chinese goods, or tainted Chinese food stuff its the ChiComs causing the "extinction" of a species of the perennially anthropomorphic dolphin!

Originally posted by subz

As an aside, has any one else sensed the mass wave of anti-China news articles lately? If its not a mass product recall of Chinese goods, or tainted Chinese food stuff its the ChiComs causing the "extinction" of a species of the perennially anthropomorphic dolphin!

All part of painting the ChiComs in a bad light as part of the "solution" to alleged anthropogenic GW - just a deflection to point away from western environmental failings - "at least we're trying - just look at how bad those commies are" type of thing.

It's true that 6 weeks doesn't seem a lot, given the size of the Yangtze, and maybe there are some left - hopefully.
But will the chinese ever want to practice conservation? I have my doubts......

Agreed with respect to the above points. I'm not giving the Chinese a free pass with anything (trade, environmental credentials or otherwise) I just question the flood of negative stories permeating through the mass media about our Chinese cousins.

I might not like what the Chinese are doing but I don't like what the rest of the so-called civilized World is doing either. And I especially don't like being fed their bull crap either

Douglas Adams is probably turning in his grave.

Agreed, it's like the muppets in charge think it's still 50 years ago, nobody has access to info, and that they can get away with painting others in a bad light simply to deflect from their own shortcomings in respect to pretty much anything.

There was a news report this morning about how pollution may affect the olympics, due to the high levels, the heat and the rigours of endurance events on the human body.

As far as conservation goes, there seems to be a media undercurrent against what they consider to be "major polluters". This being the start of an infowar against the chicoms, albeit at a low level. i.e. infowar to twist public opinion.

I wonder if India will be next on the receiving end?

I remember reading about these when i was younger, the freshwater dolphin. How sad that it is close to being compltly gone, im guessing there aren't any in captivity then...

As for China being potrayed in a overly-negative way... hardly

CHina barly is covered here, and only when some of there garbage products kill a bunch of our family members(pets) do we get pissed off and start to take notice.

Just today, while at jury duty, on the tv, one of the horrible alphabet media channels, there was a morning news coveage, and it was givening China the greatest of praises. It was coverage for the upcomeing olympics in china in the summer of 08, chania calling it the "New coiming out of china"... the media loves that... mabye im the only one that sees this as something that is similar to Hitlers Olymics, in that he was hosting and wanted to usher in a new germay, and quite a lot more, we will see were the path of the last gaint comumest state will go.

Well there is still slight hope. We've labeled species extinct before only to find them alive and well decades later. Maybe they just got smart and realized that humans are nothing but trouble and are hiding?