Yet another Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica) was found dead in Halda River on Friday afternoon.
Confirming the matter, Halda researcher Prof Dr Manzoorul Kibria said local youths spotted the dead dolphin floating at Modunaghat point of the river.
"They (local youths) sent me the photo of the dolphin. The aquatic mammal died two to three days ago and was bearing an injury mark on its back. We assume that the dolphin might have died after being hit by the propeller of a sand-extracting dredger. I have already informed the divisional forest officer of Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Division about the matter,” said Dr Kibria.
“So far, 26 dolphins have died in Halda River since September 2017. It is an ominous signal for the conservation of the dolphin in the Halda,” added Dr Kibria.
Earlier on May 24, a dolphin was found floating at Modunaghat point of Halda River.
On May 8, a dolphin was brutally killed, reportedly by locals, in the Halda River.
On May 19, the High Court formed a committee headed by the deputy commissioner of Chittagong to stop the killing of river dolphins and mother fish as well as to take steps for protecting the biodiversity of the Halda River.
The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan issued the order during a virtual hearing on Tuesday, when two inspection reports on the matter were placed before it by the director general of the Department of Environment and district commissioner of Chittagong, respectively.
The court also asked lawmakers elected from areas near Halda River to act as advisers to the committee.
Two types of dolphins are found in Bangladesh- Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
The official status of the river dolphins locally known as Shushuk [Platanista gangetica] is “critically endangered” as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a universally recognised index of the world’s endangered animals.