UP villagers brutally kill rare Gangetic Dolphin

GORY END: The male dolphin had strayed from its nearest habitat - the Ghagra River - which is about 100 kms away.

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Lucknow: In a brutal incident, a rare Gangetic Dolphin was beaten to death by villagers in the outskirts of Lucknow. The dolphin had strayed into the shallow waters of a canal and become an easy prey for the ignorant villagers.

The police have detained one person but the main accused are yet to be arrested.

In yet another saga of man against nature, the male dolphin had to bear the brunt of human wrath. The dolphin was brutally killed by villagers after they found it in the Indira canal, some 20 kms away from Lucknow.

"Kuch log aur bacche jo janwar chara rahe the woh pathar se maar rahe the. Kuch paani mein bhi the. Woh jidhar paani beh raha tha udhar aa rahi thi (Some people and children who were grazing their cattle threw stones at the dolphin and some people even entered the waters. The dolphin was entering the canal)," Nankau, a villager, said.

Mystery surrounds the precarious route that the dolphin had taken from its nearest habitat - the Ghagra River to Lucknow, which is a distance of more than 100 kilometers.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has included Gangetic Dolphins in its list of endangered species.

Killing an endangered species leads to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 10,000.

The forest department has already lodged an FIR in the local police station but the main accused has still not been arrested. This incident has come as a rude shock to wildlife experts.

Director of Endangered Species, UP government, Eva Sharma, said, "It's a very sad event that has taken place. Had we been alert or had the villagers been alert then this accident could have been avoided."

There are about 1000 Gangetic Dolphins left in the entire country - mainly in UP, Bihar and West Bengal.

But if dolphins continue to be killed in such brutal manner, then these beautiful animals will soon be extinct.