The WWF-Pakistan and Sindh Wildlife Department joint team, along with the local fishermen community, successfully rescued a stranded female Indus river dolphin the other day from the Salar Tributary of Kirthar Canal located 170 km off Sukkur. It was released in the Indus River at Sukkur Barrage upstream. The female dolphin was about 3.5 feet in length and weighs about 18 kg.
Getting stranded in low waters is a constant threat that this endangered species faces, which usually occurs during the period of canal closures when flood gates are closed resulting in a drop in water level. Furthermore, intensive fishing in the core dolphin habitat is another threat which increases the probability of dolphins getting entangled in fishing nets, making it critical to continuously monitor the Indus River and adjacent canals.
This specific dolphin was being monitored since June 1.The female Indus River dolphin was carefully captured, then transported in a specially designed sound proof ambulance. Additionally, the mammal was constantly kept moist, until its release in the Indus River at Sukkur Barrage upstream.
