Rare Yangtze Porpoises Get New Life

The Yangtze River is the longest in Asia--what was once one of the only two rivers in the world that were home to two different dolphins: the Yangtze finless porpoise and the Baiji dolphin.

Since 2006, the Baiji dolphin has been declared extinct. Yet there remains a small space of hope for its close cousin, the Yangtze finless porpoise.

The Chinese government is working to capture the small remaining group of creatures and relocate them to a secure conservation area. Only about a 1,000 now remain, according to CBS News.

Each year, many continue to die due to a number of threatening factors, including shipping, pollution, fishing and sand mining. Health officials note that dead porpoises are regularly found along the Tangtze as well as in Dongting and Poyang lakes.

"Without urgent efforts such as this translocation, the Yangtze finless porpoise could be extinct in the next five to 10 years and the world would lose another of its unique and irreplaceable freshwater cetaceans," Lo Sze Ping, the CEO of WWF China, said in a statement. "WWF has been working with the government and partners for years to protect and enlarge finless porpoise habitats along the Yangtze, and we welcome the creation of this new population."

With the help of a plan developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, four porpoises have already been moved from Poyang Lake to holding pens on March 21 and were then released Friday in the conservation area that's known as the He-wang-miao/Ji-cheng-yuan oxbow. Later this year, four others will be sent to the Tian-e-zhou oxbow.

"The survival of this new population of Yangtze finless porpoises depends on the support and involvement of the local communities," said Lei Gang, the senior director of WWF's Yangtze program, via the news organization. "By helping fishermen to develop new ways of providing for their families, WWF and the local authorities are ensuring that the translocation will benefit both porpoises and people."

Yet WWF China is not just concerned with one issue. According to the organization's website, they also work with many other area problems concerning the Yangtze basin that help protect this integral water source that has become extremely polluted due to the country's rapid economic development.

In the Upper Yangtze, officials work on yhe important role of safeguarding the giant panda and its habitat. While in central, lower and Yangtze estuary WWF, they work on ensuring the water security through restoration and reconnection of lakes and rivers. Lastly, they're active in urban environments, with many successful low carbon demonstration projects now operating in Shanghai.

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