Table of Contents
India’s first dolphin observatory is being set up in which state?
- Madhya Pradesh
- Bihar
- Uttar Pradesh
- Gujarat
Which river is the only habitat of Indus River Dolphin in India?
- Chenab
- Beas
- Sutluj
- Jhelum
- There are about 3,700 Gangetic River Dolphins in the Indian river systems.
- PM Modi announced ‘Project Dolphin’ recently to give impetus to conserving Gangetic species
Gangetic dolphin
- IUCN Status – endangered
- Scientific Name: Platanista gangetica
- India’s national aquatic animal
- The Gangetic river dolphins can only live in freshwater, are blind and catch their prey in a unique manner, using ultrasonic sound waves.
- Dolphins have been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972
- In a move aimed at preserving the ecology and promoting tourism,
- the National Mision for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has launched
- ‘Dolphin Jalaj Safari’
- at six places across the country.
- Bijnor, Brijghat, Prayagraj, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
- Kahalgaon in Bihar
- Bandel in West Bengal
- This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
- Gangetic Dolphin Day – October 5
- The trained volunteers known as ‘Ganga Prahris’ will take the tourists to these sites for boat rides to view the mammal.
- Apart from dolphins, tourists are also promised sightings of gharials found in good numbers in the regions.
- A new campaign called ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’ was also launched on this occasion in a move aimed at conducting a dolphin census in a 250-km stretch from Bijnor to Narora in Bulandshahr.
- This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
- Gangetic Dolphin Day – October 5
- The trained volunteers known as ‘Ganga Prahris’ will take the tourists to these sites for boat rides to view the mammal.
- Apart from dolphins, tourists are also promised sightings of gharials found in good numbers in the regions.
- A new campaign called ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’ was also launched on this occasion in a move aimed at conducting a dolphin census in a 250-km stretch from Bijnor to Narora in Bulandshahr.
- Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of river ecosystems. As the Gangetic dolphin is at the top of the food chain, protecting the species and its habitat will ensure conservation of aquatic lives of the river.
- Threat due to
- Direct killing
- -Habitat fragmentation by dams and barrages
- Indiscriminate fishing
- Excessive silting and sand mining
- The Rhine Action Plan (1987) helped in conservation of the salmon fish (also an indicator species)
- Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur District of Bihar is the only Sanctuary for Gangetic dolphins.
India’s first dolphin observatory is being set up in which state?
- Madhya Pradesh
- Bihar
- Uttar Pradesh
- Gujarat
Which river is the only habitat of Indus River Dolphin in India?
- Chenab
- Beas
- Sutluj
- Jhelum
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