Rare Irrawaddy Dolphins Facing Extinction in Mekong River
The environmental organization, The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) has announced a study finding that only 64 to possibly 76 Irrawaddy Dolphins remain in the Mekong river. The explanation given for the declining numbers is that toxic pesticides as well as industrial waste are so polluting the Mekong that the species, once plentiful is now facing extinction.
In a press statement, WWF spokesman Verne Dove states that “These pollutants are widely distributed in the environment and so the source of this pollution may involve several countries through which the Mekong River flows.”
Toxic levels of pesticides mercury and other pollutants have been found 50 dead dolphin calves that have been studied since 2003. The mercury is thought to derive from gold mining operations.
The Mekong flows through southern China, into Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and is a main source of fish for 60 million people.
Rare Irrawaddy Dolphins Facing Extinction in Mekong River
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