Ganges river dolphins are functionally blind and navigate entirely by echolocation, facing welfare threats from entanglement, noise, and river depletion.
Acoustic pollution from shipping, irrigation pumps, and dredging disrupts echolocation, the only sensory system these dolphins can rely on for navigation and feeding. Gillnet entanglement causes drowning. Dry season water extraction concentrates dolphins in shrinking pools, increasing competition and boat encounter rates. Dam construction prevents movement between river segments trapping individuals below barriers.