Chinese River Dolphin

The Chinese River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) is a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze River in China. The superfamily of river dolphins include also the Boto and the La Plata Dolphin. Other names for Lipotes include Baiji (白鱀 Pinyin: báijì), Beiji, Pai-chi (Wade-Giles), Whitefin Dolphin, Whiteflag Dolphin, Yangtze Dolphin, and Yangtze River Dolphin. It is nicknamed "the Goddess of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze)" (長江女神) in China.

Early history

Fossil records indicate that the dolphins migrated from the Pacific to the Yangtze River 20,000 years ago. The dolphins are described in the Han Dynasty dictionary Erya. It is estimated that there were 5,000 Chinese River Dolphins at that time. In 1978, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the Freshwater Dolphin Research Centre (淡水海豚研究中心) as a branch of the Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology.

The chronology of the species' rapid decline

1979: The People's Republic of China declares Baiji endangered
1983: National law declaring hunting Baiji illegal
1986: Population at 300
1990: Population at 200
1997: Population at less than 50 (23 found)
1998: 7 found

Its current population is difficult to estimate, but it is thought that there are at least thirteen individuals still alive. Needless to say, that is an extremely low number and is therfore the most endagered cetacean in the world. See Guinnes Book of World Records. A captive specimen, a male named Qiqi (淇淇), was located at the Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology from 1980 to July 14, 2002. Qiqi was discovered by a fisherman in Dongting Lake, and later became the sole resident of Baiji Dolphin Aquarium (白鱀豚水族馆) beside East Lake. There was a later captive, which died after living a year (1996 to 1997) in the Shishou Semi-natural Baiji Dolphin Sanctuary (石首半自然白鱀豚保护区) that had been empty since 1990. A female was found in Chongming Island near Shanghai in 1998, but she did not eat any provided food and starved to death within a month.

Conservation

The Baiji Dolphin Conservation Foundation of Wuhan (武汉白鱀豚保护基金), the first Chinese aquatic species protection organization, was founded in December 1996. The Foundation has gathered 1,383,924.35 CNY (about 10,034.02 USD) and have spent the financial resources on in vitro cell preservation and maintenance of the Chinese River Dolphin facilities, including the 1998-flooded Shishou Sanctuary.

Three Gorges Dam

The introduction of the Three Gorges Dam has irrevocably altered the habitat of the Chinese River Dolphin. Scientists however, hope to save the Dolphins with a plan that involves moving some to a nearby lake. If successful the plan would be to re-introduce the species into the Yangtze when the prospect of survival there increases.

References

Database entry includes a range map and a lengthy justification of why this species is critically endangered

External links

ARKive - images and movies of the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer)
"They need help": ^*
Animal Info page on Baiji
"Lipotes vexillifer: Baiji or Chinese River Dolphin"

(archive

whale-web.com
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Species Profile
BBC News "Last chance for China's dolphin"

Toothed whales