Freshwater river dolphins are among the most endangered and least known cetaceans, facing welfare crises from fishing bycatch, pollution, and dam construction.
River dolphin welfare is compromised through multiple simultaneous threats. Fishing net entanglement causes drowning deaths that are acute and traumatic. Ingested hooks cause internal injuries. Mercury bioaccumulation causes neurological damage in survivors. Dam construction eliminates habitat and blocks seasonal migrations that are essential to breeding and feeding. The loss of the baiji represents the permanent elimination of a unique evolutionary lineage and the welfare framework that would have protected those individuals. Remaining river dolphin populations are in acute conservation emergency requiring immediate action across multiple fronts.