Wild River Dolphin Conservation and Welfare

River dolphins are among the most endangered mammals on Earth, with populations declining from bycatch, boat strikes, pollution, and habitat degradation in the major river systems they inhabit.

Key Facts

The Yangtze river dolphin (baiji) was declared functionally extinct in 2006 — the first cetacean extinction in modern times
Amazon river dolphins (botos) face threats from mercury pollution from gold mining and intentional killing for catfish bait
Ganges river dolphin populations number fewer than 3,500 individuals in heavily degraded rivers
River dolphins use echolocation to navigate murky water and are highly sensitive to noise disturbance
Bycatch in fishing nets is a leading welfare and mortality cause for all river dolphin species

Welfare Considerations

River dolphins entangled in fishing nets drown after struggling against restraint — a welfare harm compounded by the conservation crisis each individual represents. Mercury poisoning from mining contamination causes neurological damage and reproductive impairment in Amazon river dolphins. River dolphins navigating increasingly degraded and noisy waterways experience chronic sensory disruption to their echolocation systems. Protecting river dolphins requires tackling multiple simultaneous threats including fishing gear, pollution, boat traffic, and habitat degradation across the large river basins they inhabit.

What You Can Do

Support World Wildlife Fund river dolphin conservation programs in the Amazon, Ganges, and Mekong
Advocate for bycatch reduction measures in fisheries overlapping with river dolphin populations
Learn about the baiji extinction as a warning about the cost of inadequate conservation action
Reduce consumption of products linked to gold mining or deforestation in river dolphin habitat areas