Indus River Dolphin:
Punjab’s wildlife preservation wing has batted for conservation of Indus river dolphins and also their natural habitat.
- The Indus river dolphin was declared the State aquatic animal of Punjab in 2019.
- Scientific Name: Platanista gangetica minor
- According to a recent study of South Asian river dolphins, Indus and Ganges River dolphins are not one, but two separate species.
- Currently, they are classified as two subspecies under Platanista gangetica.
- Like other freshwater dolphins (such as Ganges river dolphins) , the Indus river dolphin is an important indicator of the health of a river.
- Other dolphins found in Indian waters include: Ganges River Dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins.
- Habitat: They can only be found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and in River Beas, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India.
- Threats:
- Biological Resource Use: Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources.
- Natural System Modifications: Dams & water management/use.
- Pollution: Domestic & urban waste water, Industrial & military effluents, Agricultural & forestry effluents.
- Conservation Status:
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Endangered.
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES): Appendix I
- Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972: Schedule I
