According to the Wildlife Conservation Society large population of rare Irrawaddy dolphins have been discovered living in freshwater regions of Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove forest and adjacent waters of the Bay of Bengal – an area where little marine mammal research has taken place up to this point. It is fact that the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds.
Dr. Steven Sanderson, president and chief executive of the Wildlife Conservation Society, mentioned that with all the news about freshwater environments and state of the oceans, WCS’s discovery of Irrawaddy dolphins exists in Bangladesh gives new hope for protecting this and other endangered species and their important habitats. He added that WCS is committed to conservation of these iconic marine species from dolphins, sea turtles, sharks to the largest whales.
Experts warn that the dolphins are becoming increasingly threatened by accidental entanglement in fishing nets. During the study, researchers found two dolphins that had become entangled and drowned in fishing nets – a common occurrence according to local fishermen. The fact is that the Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, grows up to eight feet and frequents large rivers, estuaries, and freshwater lagoons in South and Southeast Asia.
In Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, these dolphins are known for “cooperative fishing” with humans, where the animals voluntarily herd schools of fish toward fishing boats and awaiting nets helping fishermen increase their catches. In 2006, WCS helped establish a protected area along the Ayeyarwady River to conserve this critically endangered mammal population.
