Dolphins: India

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Dolphins in the Beas/ Harike

For the first time, a dozen dolphins spotted in Beas

Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Sep 9, 2013

The Times of India

The monthly monitoring of the dolphins is conducted jointly by teams of World [Wildlife] Fund for Nature and Harike wildlife sanctuary

AMRITSAR: For the first time, the officials of Harike wildlife sanctuary, 60km from Amritsar, have spotted 12 Indus dolphins, an endangered species, in a single sighting.

Divisional forest officer M Sudhagar told TOI on Sunday that during the monthly monitoring, they spotted a dozen Indus freshwater dolphins in three groups. "With this single sighting, we can estimate that their number could be around two dozen in and around the sanctuary," the officer said.

The monthly monitoring of the dolphins is conducted jointly by teams of World Wide Fund for Nature and Harike wildlife sanctuary.

The endangered freshwater Indus dolphin (Platanista minor) is found only in this stretch of India. Around six years ago, the Harike wildlife sanctuary officials had spotted a pair of freshwater dolphins for the first time in the country at the confluence of Beas and Satluj rivers.

As the word spread, the government had announced to launch a conservation project for dolphins and develop the area as a major tourist spot, but nothing happened till now.

Indus dolphin is one of the world's rarest mammals and most endangered cetaceans.

Karmowal village as tourist destination

Indus dolphin is one of the world's rarest mammals and most endangered cetaceans. Only about 1,100 such unique species exist today in the lower reaches of the Indus in Pakistan. Their number had drastically declined since the construction of dams on the river.

The dolphins were found in the 75km stretch of the Beas, which also includes around 3km stretch of the Harike wildlfe sanctuary. Divisional forest officer M Sudhagar told TOI on Sunda that besides monthly monitoring of dolphins, no project for their conservation or protection had been launched so far.

The officer added that the department had chalked out a plan to develop Karmowal village as a tourist destination by taking some rented accommodation but that project also didn't take wings.

Sources said the state government had not sent any proposal to the Centre in this regard and the government had not shown any interest in declaring the sight as conservation reserve to protect the dolphins. The officer added that the department had chalked out a plan to develop Karmowal village as a tourist destination by taking some rented accommodation but that project also didn't take wings.