WWF team to study dolphins in Harike

CHANDIGARH, DEC 19 : Wildlife lovers are delighted to hear about dolphins having a whale of a time at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers in Harike. A two-member delegation of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will soon visit Harike to identify the aquatic creature.

Talking to The Indian Express, Gunbir Singh, WWF chairperson, Punjab, said, “This is indeed the rarest of the rare sighting. It is being believed that the mammals seen are Indus river dolphins, which are known to exist only in Pakistan, where they are protected species. The WWF is sending Dr Sandeep Bihara, who has done a PhD in dolphins, and Dr Ashgar Nawabi, an expert in marine life, to study this phenomenon.”

“We urge the Punjab Government to take steps to protect the species. We are also in touch with officials of the Wildlife and Forest Department for continuous monitoring of the mammals till the experts arrive. These dolphins might have come upstream from Pakistan,” he added.

“The Indus river dolphin is thought to have its origin in the ancient Tethys Sea, which dried up around 50 million years ago, forcing the dolphins to adapt to its only remaining habitat — rivers,” he said.

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