From BBC News.
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 Yangtze river dolphin was a remarkable mammal that separated from all other species over 20 million years ago,” Dr Turvey explained. “This extinction represents the disappearance of a complete branch of the evolutionary tree of life and emphasises that we have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet.”
Unlike most historical-era extinctions of large bodied animals, the baiji was the victim not of active persecution but incidental mortality resulting from massive-scale human environmental impacts - primarily uncontrolled and unselective fishing,” the researchers concluded.
The damage to the baiji’s habitat is also affecting the Yangtze finless porpoise, whose numbers have fallen to below 400, the expedition found.
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Scientists ask: Where have all the dolphins gone?
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