Saving the Gangetic Dolphin

Interview by Vani Viswanathan

[box]The Gangetic Dolphin is India’s National Aquatic Animal. It is listed as an endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s List of Threatened Species. More information and an interview with Bhavani Prakash follow.[/box]

What is threatening the survival of this species and the river itself?

Accidental killing is a main problem for Gangetic Dolphins, especially when they get entangled in fishing gear such as nylon gillnets. They also get caught in long-line fishing gear with rolling hooks, the kind used in the Yangtze river that is one of the main reasons for the extinction of the baiji dolphin. Some direct killing also happens, as dolphins are caught for oil and meat.

Pollution along the rivers is another major factor which leads to habitat degradation and threatens dolphin populations as well as those of other riverine species. According to the Conservation of Marine Species, “about 1.15 million metric tons of chemical fertilizers, 2,600 tons of pesticides are dumped annually into the river system.” For example, the heavy metal laden effluents from the tanneries in Kanpur make the river very contaminated. Kanpur is a mere 165 km from the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, where there were only 94 dolphins seen two years ago.

What made you decide that you should start this campaign?

One defining moment was a book called “Witness to Extinction: How We Failed to Save the Yangtze Dolphin” by Samuel Turvey, a researcher turned activist who fought till the end to protect the baiji dolphin, which was declared functionally extinct in 2007. It kind of fell off the shelf of the National Library in Singapore while I was looking for books on sustainable cities! I almost put the book back, thinking I didn’t have time to read it at that point of time. But something about the cover led me to borrow the book, and start diving into it straight away, and on the bus back home, and till late into the night. I simply couldn’t put it down.

I blogged about it here, and remember concluding, “It was too late for the baiji, but maybe, just maybe, there is a tiny window of opportunity for the other river dolphins of the world.” I mentally made a promise that I should do everything I could to not let this happen to the precious Gangetic Dolphin. By good fortune, I managed to connect with two other cetacean lovers, Capt. Anup Murthy and Rahul Muralidharan, and this campaign is the brainchild of the three of us.

Not many people in India, let alone outside India, are really aware that the Ganges system boasts of these magnificent creatures. In fact, dolphins are considered “non-human” persons as they are extremely intelligent. It’s a pity that human activity is allowing them to vanish from the face of this planet.

Could you briefly tell us what exactly you would like to do through this campaign? Is it just about creating awareness, or is there more to it? If yes, what are these other objectives that you have set?

The main objective is to keep the conversation about Gangetic Dolphins(GDs) and the state of River Ganga alive on social media and hopefully this will spill over to the print media too. If enough people start talking and caring about the impending extinction of the GDs and other endangered species, perhaps it will put pressure on policy makers to pay attention to this issue and take action on the ground.

Another very important objective is to understand who are working at the moment on GD conservations, in Government, in NGOs and individual conservationists. We also want to collate information on various reports and news items that are scattered at different organizations, and over the internet and consolidate in one place, so anyone can access this information. All this will help with sharing and raising public awareness. By studying existing techniques for GD survey and conservation, we hope to gather support for widespread implementation of the best techniques suited to local conditions.

The Gangetic Dolphin is rooted in our cultural history for a good reason. According to Hindu mythology, River Ganga is said to have descended from the heavens with such force that Shiva, one of the three main Hindu gods had to rein her in his locks. When she emerged from Shiva’s matted hair, Shiva ordered the ‘Shishumaar’ – the dolphin – to escort Ganga wherever she flowed. As long as the magnificent dolphin can be seen in the river, the Ganga was fine.

Street plays featuring this story have actually helped revive dolphin numbers in Karnavas in Utter Pradesh. This is why we have to keep the stories alive – both mythological and modern day ones.

I understand there is already a Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in India – how will your campaign support them and add to what they are doing?

Though the Gangetic Dolphin is officially India’s National Aquatic Animal, and the National Ganga River Basin Authority has been set up by the Government of India in February 2009 as a central co-ordinating authority to address the problem of pollution in the Ganga, progress towards the conservation of the GDs have been slow to date.

There is no concerted social media campaign at the moment for the Gangetic Dolphins that I’m aware of. This is the first of its kind. All the NGOs and conservationists are understandably too busy working on the ground. So we see this campaign as a good supportive role to all their efforts by raising awareness about River Ganga and the GDs. We’re at a juncture where digital technology can be used for social and environmental activism, so why not make the best of it, for an urgent cause? As I said earlier, I hope the print media will pick this up. I also hope to see various schools making GD awareness a priority in classrooms through plays, stories and presentations. I wish to see widespread public screenings of documentaries on the GDs. The level of public awareness has to rise significantly. Unless enough people care about something as important as the GDs, they are not likely to press for its protection.

For more information on the campaign, please visit http://www.gangeticdolphin.wordpress.com, Facebook: gangeticdolphinscg, and Twitter: @gangesdolphincg

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