VIKRAMSHILA BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (VBREC)

For Conserving Endangered Ganges River Dolphins in Vikramshila Sanctuary, Bhagalpur, India

After the declaration of the China's Yangtze River dolphin, Baiji Lipotes vexillifer as functionally extinct (Turvey et al., 2007), the focus shifted now towards strengthening efforts for conserving highly endangered (IUCN, 1996) Ganges river dolphins distributed in the Ganges - Bramhaputra - Meghna, and Karnaphuli - Sangu river systems of South Asia from the base of the Himalayan foothills to the Bay of Bengal. Ganges river dolphins have declined in abundance and in the extent of their range in recent past.

In the winter of 2008-2009 ACS Puget Sound helped promote talks by Dr. Sunil K. Choudhary, who was visiting Seattle, and set up a special fund to help support the VBREC's conservation and awareness campaign efforts on behalf of the Ganges river dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica .

In fall 2009 the Ganges river dolphin was declared the aquatic animal of India and its recovery will be used to assess the health of the Ganges river.

Your help is still needed to continue to the campaign to save the Ganges river dolphin while there are enough to maintain a viable population.

For additional information, see:

• Ganges river dolphin lectures.