Dismay as rare blind dolphin shot dead in Balochistan

KARACHI – Calls to protect critically endangered blind dolphins increased again as a blind Indus dolphin got killed after being shot in a river in Balochistan.

The dead blind dolphin was found by locals who apprised wildlife authorities so that it could be rescued.

Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Mehr told the media there the blind dolphin, one of the world's rarest mammals and the second most endangered freshwater river dolphin, was strayed and accidently entered Balochistan region via the Indus River.

He revealed that the dolphin crossed borders through Kirthar Canal, and was allegedly shot dead by unknown armed men.

The dead aquatic animal was said to be about 16 to 20 months old, while officials are looking to find traces for the probe. Balochistan Wildlife Department is in contact with local authorities and the matter is being investigated.

The Indus River dolphin famously known as the blind dolphin is an obligate freshwater cetacean. It is endemic to the Indus River system in the South Asian nation and is listed as endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to an 80% decline in its habitat range as a result of the construction of barrages along the river.

Earlier this year, a man who killed the endangered Indus River blind dolphin gets 5 five years behind bars and Rs0.25 million fine in Sukkur. The punishment was the first time in history in a bid to protect the endangered blind dolphins, one of only four freshwater dolphin species left.