Dolphin Sanctuary in Chambal Sanctuary very soon

• 06 Jul 2023

Why in News?

On July 5, 2023, Arushi Mishra, Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) of the National Chambal Sanctuary Project, said that Chambal Sanctuary will soon be declared a Dolphin Sanctuary area. A proposal for dolphin sanctuary has been sent to the government for the conservation of the national aquatic animal dolphin.

Key Points:

• Arushi Mishra said that Chambal Sanctuary which is buzzing with crocodiles, alligators, turtles, birds and natural beauty, will soon be declared a Dolphin Sanctuary area. For the dolphin sanctuary, the area of the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah has been selected, where a large number of dolphins are found.
• Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah is about 20 km from Sahasan. A large number of dolphins are found in the area. There is a steady increase in the number of dolphins here. About 50 to 80 dolphins are found in this place.
• In 2012, the number of dolphins in the rivers of Uttar Pradesh was 671, out of which 78 were in Chambal. At present, there are 24 dolphins in the Bah range and 147 in the Etawah range in the National Chambal Sanctuary Area.
• Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Arushi Mishra said that the National Chambal Sanctuary, declared in 1979, is spread over 635 sq km. It is spread over an area. It connects three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Since 2008, the natural hatching of crocodiles has been taking place in it. As a result, the number of crocodiles has reached 2,176. About 6,000 rare species of turtles are found up to Etawah in Uttar Pradesh along with 878 crocodiles. At the same time, the number of dolphins, the national aquatic creature protected in Chambal Sanctuary, has also increased.
• Arushi Mishra said that the Government of India has prioritised two places for dolphin safari. Recently, the presentation of Varanasi and Chambal has been made in front of the Government of India. This is also a big step for the government towards eco-tourism and dolphin conservation.
• Significantly, the dolphin found in the Ganges River is the national aquatic animal of India. The Ganges dolphin was recognized as a National Aquatic Animal by the Government of India in the year 2009.
• Conservation status:
  • Hunting of Gangetic dolphins is prohibited under Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • The Gangetic dolphin has been placed in the IUCN Red List as endangered.
  • The Ganges dolphin is included in Appendix-I of the 'The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora & CITES'.
  • Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)% Appendix II (Migratory species in need of conservation and management or that would greatly benefit from international cooperation).
• Steps taken for conservation:
  • Project Dolphin: The Prime Minister of India announced the launch of Project Dolphin in his speech on Independence Day-2020. This project will be on the lines of Tiger, which helped in increasing the tiger population.
  • Dolphin Sanctuary: Vikramshila Ganga Dolphin Sanctuary has been established in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
  • Conservation Plan: The 'Ganga Dolphin Conservation Action Plan 2010-2020' is one of the efforts to conserve the Ganges Dolphin, under which the major threats to the Ganges dolphin and their population have been identified as the major threats to the river traffic, irrigation canals and lack of prey etc.
  • National Ganga Dolphin Day: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is celebrated on October 5 every year as Ganga Dolphin Day.