Posing with endangered River Dolphin

In a mindless act of disregard to endangered Gangetic River Dolphin, a Facebook user has posted photos in which he poses with a dead dolphin calf.

When the act was condemned by a few, Tapos Debnath who appeared to boastfully show off the dolphin, later claimed it was not him who caught the dolphin, he simply posed with it. 

Debnath posted the photo on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Many approved of his post and even complimented the photograph.

Debnath posted the photo on his Facebook page on Sunday. Photo taken from his Facebook page.

But Sotan Moru did not agree with them. “This is not good! Where is this place? Dolphin shikar kora ekta rashtrio oporadh. Ei pranitar bichoron edaning dekhai jaena aar taar modhdhhe ekta ke mere fellen?( Killing dolphins is a national crime. We don’t see these animals any more, and you killed it?) SO SAD…”

To this, Tapos replied: “Actually these are sea fish. If they get stuck in the fishing net, they die.  They are a little delicate type, like Hilsha fish which dies as well if it is stuck in the net. And there is no benefit of catching dolphin, nobody eats them and they are of no use. And the biggest thing is I didn’t catch it, I merely posed for a photograph with it.”

The Gangetic River Dolphin is an endangered species worldwide and lives in one of the most densely populated regions of the world according to World Wildlife Fund. One of the main threats to the species is loss of habitat due in large part to the creation of dams and irrigation projects.

“This is a criminal offence in the Wildlife Act and punishment can range from six months in jail to longer,” Tapan Kumar Dey, conservator of forest, wildlife, told The Daily Star.

ABM Sarowar Alam of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said the Gangetic River Dolphin is endangered and hunting them is a terrible crime that is punishable by law and even if he had not captured the dolphin, the young man should have informed local authorities.

The Ganges River dolphins are threatened in Bangladesh from the effects of dams, large embankment schemes, dredging, fisheries by-catch, directed hunting, and water pollution.

Local people are familiar with these dolphins swimming in rivers throughout the country and fishermen generally regard them favorably as their companions.