South Asian River Dolphin

                                               South Asian River Dolphin

1. It is endangered freshwater or river Dolphin found in the region of Indian Subcontinent, which is spilt into two subspecies-

Gangetic River Dolphin - It is primarily found in the ganga and Brahmaputra  River and their tributaries in INDIA, BANGLADESH, and NEPAL.

Indus River Dolphin - It is now found only in the main channel of the Indus River in PAKISTAN and in the River Beas in PUNJAB in INDIA.

2. The Gangetic River Dolphin has been recognized by the Govt. of INDIA as its NATIONAL AQUATIC ANIMAL. It is also the official animal of the Guwahati.

3. A stretch of ganga River in Bihar has been declared a Dolphin sanctuary and named VIKRAMSHILA GANGETIC DOLPHIN SANCTUARY, the first such protected area.

4. It is protected under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

5. It is also protected under the CITES CONVENTION APPENDIX  and CMS CONVENTION 

(APPENDIX I and II ) 

6. The National Mission for clean Ganga celebrates 5th October as NATIONAL GANGA RIVER DOLPHIN DAY.

7. Recently the PM announced the launch of project Dolphin in his 2020 Independence Day Speech.