Dead dolphin found on banks of Ganga in Jharkhand

Sahibganj (Jharkhand), Oct 3 (PTI) The carcass of a dolphin was found on the banks of the Ganga in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district, forest officials said on Friday.

Sahibganj divisional forest officer (DFO) Prabal Garg told PTI that soon after receiving information from local fishermen, forest officials went to the spot and took possession of the carcass.

"We have sent the carcass of the dolphin, scientifically known as Platanista Gangetica, to the nearest range office in Taljhari for post-mortem examination. The mammal is listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, making it an endangered species," the DFO said.

Forest officials said prima facie there are no external injury marks on the dolphin's carcass. The official also ruled out water pollution leading to its death.

"There are no external marks on the dolphin's carcass, which rules out injury caused by movement of ships or trawlers. There is little chance of water pollution, as in that condition, there would have been multiple deaths of dolphins," Garg said.

In the pre-monsoon survey conducted by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under Project Dolphin in Sahibganj, the number of mammals was over 250. PTI ANB MNB