"6,000 rare dolphins are found off Bangladesh" by Associated Press | April 2, 2009
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Thousands of rare Irrawaddy dolphins have been found in Bangladeshi waters, a wildlife advocacy group said yesterday, a hopeful sign for a vulnerable species found only in small numbers elsewhere.
Yet the newly discovered population is already threatened by climate change and fishing nets, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said.
Nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins, which are related to orcas or killer whales, were found living in freshwater regions of Bangladesh's Sundarbans mangrove forest and the adjacent waters of the Bay of Bengal, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced.
Before this study, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less, a news release from the group said. The Irrawaddy dolphin grows to up to 8 feet in length and frequents large rivers, estuaries, and freshwater lagoons.
--more--"
