Another dolphin of endangered Gangetic species was found dead from the Halda River in Chattogram on Wednesday.
With this, the number of dead dolphins recovered this year from the Halda River has reached four.
The body of the dolphin was found floating in the Halda River near Azimer Ghat area of Raozan upazila in Chattogram around 11am on Wednesday, Halda Egg Collectors’ Association General Secretary Roshangir Alam told The Business Standard.
Upon information from the association, representatives from the Halda River Research Laboratory and fisheries department office visited the spot on the same day. They buried the carcass after examining it, Roshangir said.
The aquatic mammal, which was 45 inches long and weighed 13.39 kg, might have died two or three days ago. Its body had started decomposing, said Coordinator of the Halda River Research Laboratory, Chittagong University Zoology Professor Dr Manzoorul Kibria.
He said this was the fourth dead dolphin recovered from the Halda River in 2024.
He added that 18 dead dolphins were found in the Halda River between September 2017 and February 2018. From March 2018 to 2020, 10 more were found, while five others were discovered in 2021 and six in 2022. With the latest recovery on Wednesday, a total of 43 dolphins have died in the Halda River since 2017.
Gangetic dolphins inhabit the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers in Chattogram. Locally, they are known as “Hutum” or “Shushuk”.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Gangetic dolphin as endangered. The species is protected under Provision 1 of the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.
