Rare dolphin 'Kingdom' in mangrove forest

A rare saltwater dolphin complex has just been found in a mangrove forest in Bangladesh.

Irrawaddy dolphin.Photo: wordpress.com.

Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Association estimate nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins - a relative of killer whales - live in freshwater areas of Bangladesh's Sundarbans. These freshwater areas are adjacent to the Bay of Bengal.

Until now people rarely found saltwater animals in the Sundarbans mangrove forest.

Every discovery of Irrawaddy dolphins is important because scientists do not know exactly how many dolphins of this species exist on the planet. Earlier, the Irrawaddy dolphin population was only a few hundred.

Irrawaddy dolphins are included in the list of vulnerable animals in international red books because their numbers are falling sharply.

"This finding led us to think about a brighter future for Irrawaddy dolphins. Bangladesh is an important reserve for them, and conservation efforts in Sundarbans should be a top priority" , proceeds. Brian D. Smith, one of the dolphin founders in Bangladesh, said.

Smith and colleagues warn that the dolphins' lives are becoming more fragile because they are accidentally caught in the fishing net. In the process of searching for dolphins in the mangrove forest, the team saw two children dying because of being caught in the net. Local fishermen acknowledge that such accidents occur quite often.