China's 'extinct' dolphin may have returned to Yangtze river, say conservationists

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

China's 'extinct' dolphin may have returned to Yangtze river, say conservationists

Amateur expedition team claims it spotted the baiji –
known as the ‘goddess of the Yangtze’ – in a stretch
of Asia’s longest river

Tom Phillips in Beijing
Tuesday 11 October 2016 02.08 BST

Chinese conservationists believe they may have caught a rare glimpse of a freshwater dolphin that was declared functionally extinct a decade ago having graced the Yangtze river for 20 million years.

Scientists and environmentalists had appeared to abandon hope that China’s baiji, or white dolphin, could survive as a species after they failed to find a single animal during a fruitless six-week hunt along the 6,300-km (3,915-mile) waterway in 2006.

But a team of amateur conservationists now claims it spotted the so-called “goddess of the Yangtze” last week on a stretch of Asia’s longest river near the city of Wuhu in Anhui province.

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Song told the Guardian the unconfirmed sighting occurred during a seven-day search mission down the Yangtze that began in the city of Anqing on 30 September.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/11/china-extinct-dolphin-returned-yangtze-river-baiji

[Judi Lynn]

1. Hope they can protect whatever baiji might still be living. Best wishes to their efforts. n/t

[NickB79]

2. If their are only a few left, their chances are grim

Even if caught and bred in captivity, the incredibly low genetic diversity essentially dooms the species.

For all practical purposes, even a sighting doesn't change the fact they ARE functionally extinct.