Blind dolphin's river struggle
2004-09-20 13:45
Karachi - Locals and conservationists fear for the survival of Pakistan's "bhulan", a rare blind river dolphin, which is on the brink of extinction due to water shortages and pollution.
The dolphin was named "bhulan" by the native Sindhi people of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, a name which means a tall, shapely, sexy woman.
"The dolphin's natural habitat in the river Indus is experiencing an acute shortage of water as a result of many rainless monsoon seasons, and the construction of many barrages and dams along the river's path," said Dr Aijaz Ahmed, Deputy Director General of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Already close to extinction, the blind dolphin's population has dwindled even further in recent months, according to the latest official study.
Conservationists put their current numbers at 500 or thereabouts in southern Sindh province.
The dolphin has officially been declared endangered by global conservation agencies.
Once plentiful in the river, this valuable mammal has suffered a decline in its population as a direct result of the construction of a large number of water reservoirs, Dr Ahmed said.
The Sindh Wildlife Department, sponsor of the latest study, has noticed that blind dolphin numbers have decreased dramatically within the limits of the Guddu and Sukkur barrages in Sindh province.
These limits have been officially declared the animal's sanctuary.
Dams and barrages make the water level unnaturally low during the winter season when the Himalayas remain covered with snow, further restricting the blind dolphin's habitat.
"A shortage of water is not the only problem. Excessive use of pesticides by farmers in the surrounding area is also adding toxins to the water where the blind dolphin lives," Dr Ahmed said.
The lowering of the water level as a result of reservoirs built to control the flow of the river Indus led to the division of the rare dolphin into smaller groups, the study said, which isolated them and limited their chances for reproduction.
As environmentalists mounted a campaign to conserve the fast vanishing creature, the Sindh government passed a law to ban the hunting of it in 1974.
The hunters moved to Punjab, but that province's government also adopted a similar law.
While the ban is still in place, many members of the fishing community find ways to flout it.
Though it is not eaten, local medics use the oil extracted from the blind dolphin's body to make aphrodisiacs.
Since the blind dolphin feeds on small fish that are fished in the region, local fishermen often kill them, Dr Ahmed said.
Deprived of sight, the dolphin uses other means to get around and feed.
"Blindness is one reason why these dolphins swim on one side underwater, with one flipper trailing in the muddy riverbed," zoologist Moin Huda said.
"The physical touch gives the dolphin important information about their surroundings and helps them find food."
- SAPA