Threats

The Ganges drainage area is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, being home to roughly one
tenth of the world’s human population, and as such suffers enormous demand for its resources. A major threat
to the Ganges river dolphin has been the extensive damming of rivers for irrigation and electricity generation,
which isolates populations and prevents seasonal migration (7). Other threats include chemical pollution, boat
traffic, hunting and human disturbance. This species is hunted for oil, fish bait and food by local people;
accidental entanglement in fishing nets also occurs (5).
Conservation
International trade is prohibited by the listing of the Ganges river dolphin on Appendix I of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (3). It is also listed in the Agreement on the Conservation
of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Sea (ASCOBANS), under the auspices of the CMS (8). It is
protected under the Indian Wildlife Act, although these legislations require stricter enforcement (5). Proposed
conservation measures include designated dolphin sanctuaries and the creation of additional habitat. Further
research into the current distribution and abundance of this elusive river-dweller is urgently required in order to
implement effective conservation measures (5)

B ased on the outcomes of this study, recommendations have been made for conservation and management of river
dolphin in Karnali River basin. First set of recommendations are made as a whole for the policy level initiatives, the
second set of recommendations are specific for the area and third set are for further long-term studies in the area.
5.1 Policy
1) There is need to develop effective mechanism of conveying key information to decision-makers and the general public
in order to gain support for conservation initiatives of Endangered migrant aquatic species
2) Species conservation plan that focuses on population surveys, monitoring, protecting key habitats, relocation and
restoration of dolphins is needed.
3) Special attention should be paid for documenting existing and planned water development projects. All possible
impacts of water development projects should be evaluated and results from these investigations should be disseminated
to resource management agencies along with recommendations to reduce or eliminate any potential threats to aquatic
fauna including dolphin.
4) A comprehensive river basin ecosystem conservation policy should be developed and supported with statutory
measures. River basin conservation strategy should for all significant river systems take steps to protect rivers and their
tributaries.
5) The existing population is contained within the western end of the park and the Girijapur barrage in India, located
approximately 20km south of the Nepal-India border. As previously recommended by IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist
group, the entire stretch of the Karnali River from Golaghat to Katarniaghat (in India) can be designated as an
international biodiversity zone for the conservation of the dolphin, crocodiles and turtles. Major parts of the river systems
both in Mohana and Geruwa form the boundaries of protected areas in India and Nepal. Royal Bardia National Park,
Katarniaghat Wildlife sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park lie in close proximity and form TAL, a visionary landscape
level program of WWF Nepal, which also focus on species conservation. Thus some mechanism should be developed
at Indo-Nepal level so that segments of river system outside the jurisdiction of these protected areas are incorporated or
developed into conservation areas.
5.2 Specific Recommendations
1) Based on findings of the present study, raise awareness about importance of conservation of dolphins in lower Karnali
River basin. For this purpose, local NGOs, CBOs and school level eco-clubs will be the most effective means to achieve
the target.
2) The ecosystem of lower Karnali River should be considered as a single conservation unit and priority should be given
to preserving all of its components including fishes that provide food for the dolphins as well as the indigenous people.
Efforts should be made to establish the entire area as conservation area and its management should be given to local
bodies.
3) Fishing should be regulated to reduce the pressure on the feeding ground of dolphins. Fishing gear that harm dolphins
should be banned in primary habitats. Private and community managed fishing culture can be promoted in ditches and
small ponds around the area through the CFUGs and CFCC as opportunity costs of restrictions in the river.
4) Effectiveness of regulations should be monitored and evaluated. As fishing activities takes place during the night, local
counterparts should be encouraged to tackle such issues. For this purpose, the existing Community Based Anti-Poaching
Units can me motivated and mobilized.
5) It is inevitable to involve local resource managers and community groups for longterm survival of these animals as
conservation efforts do succeed if guardianship is developed in and around the animal’s habitat. This can be achieved
through the involvement of CFCC and Community Based Anti-Poaching Units in the Khata corridor of TAL.
6) Community managed tourism in could be promoted in the area. This would also help to improve the local economy.
The parts of river system can be managed through community participation. However necessary infrastructure of the
entire region such as roads and lodges must be developed for efficient mobility and accommodation during all seasons.
Kothaighat on Karnali River can be promoted as the prime location for dolphin watching during low water seasons
whereas Bardahawaghat on Mohana River has the potential in Mohana river basin.
7) As the dolphins usually feed upon smaller fishes and shrimps, the mesh size of fishing nets can be regulated so that
the fishermen catch only larger fishes and allow smaller fishes to escape. It was observed that the use of gill net is
destructive to the fishing population as it entangles fishes of all size that ultimately hampers breeding fish population
though instances of dolphin entanglement have not been reported.
8) As the study has found that the local communities have religious and cultural belief regarding dolphin as a holy animal,
conservation effort should be built on their existing belief rather than trying to impose a scientific basis for conservation at
the very beginning.
9) Unless the local people recognize the significance of wildlife values of their immediate surrounding and the river
dolphins as a whole, implementing many of the recommendations that involve local participation would not yield desirable
success. Both local and national media, print (news paper and magazines) and electronic (radio and TV), should
extensively be made use of in highlighting the issues on the existing dolphin population.
10) Along with population increase, there is bound to be a rise in demand for stones, boulders and sand from the banks of
these river systems, thus it is of utmost importance that certain sections of the river should be banned for such activities
as well.DDC/VDCs should issues license only for already disturbed river segments and rotate such activities in a
sustainable manner.
5.3 Further research:
1) Future survey methods should be standardized and modified and survey reports should include detailed description of
habitats, methods, search effort, environmental conditions and dolphin sightings so that data can be properly evaluated
and future surveys can be designed for comparability.
2) More extensive surveys are imperative to understand the status and distribution of dolphin in Karnali River system.
Concerned authorities in Nepal and India to assess the actual status of the animal during wet and dry seasons should do
this jointly. Seasonal and annual movement should be investigated on both sides of the border above the barrage.
3) The habitats identified by this study should be marked for ecological study in future. Besides this, changes in river
ecology and associated aquatic fauna should also be monitored and studied simultaneously. The study of fish population
should be an integral part of future research.
4) Long-term studies on reproductive biology and behaviour, ecology, population dynamics and movements should be
initiated under the present scenario of human pressure and habitat degradation.
5) Studies on the impact of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on water quality during periods when agricultural activities
are intense along the river banks should be initiated as these inorganic substances do have a considerable impact on fish
and dolphin populations and other associated aquatic fauna that comprise a part of dolphin food chain.
6) Taking into account any future monitoring activities, Kothiaghat on the Geruwa channel and Bardahawa cluster on
Mohana River are the most appropriate locations. Kothiaghat can be monitored at any time of the year as the presence of
dolphins is reported to be throughout the year but at least two monitoring are recommended, one towards the end of
monsoon and the other during low water level periods of winter or prior to onset of monsoon. In Mohana, monitoring may
be carried out only during the high water level, which extends from June to Mid September depending upon the amount of
rainfall. The involvement of local people in future monitoring should be of high priority to ensure that subsequent
monitoring is also conducted using consistent and practical methodology.
Practical solutions for managing rivers better
Practical solutions exist for addressing problems of water supply and quality in ways that conserve and restore
freshwater ecosystems.
Rapidly growing knowledge about how water moves through the environment and technological advances in
water management are providing tools to meet and potentially overcome the global water crisis. In fact, science
tells us that there is enough freshwater in the world to meet present needs and accommodate growing
populations. The challenge is to protect the sources of freshwater and manage its use in a manner that is both
equitable and ecologically sustainable.
Examples of tools that exist or are being developed to protect and better manage freshwater resources include:
 • Protected areas to safeguard sites such as headwaters and wetlands that contribute to
maintaining water quality and quantity.
• Forestry practices that are compatible with protection of freshwater resources.
• Sustainable agriculture that takes advantage of local conditions, uses less water and is not
so dependent on chemical pesticides and fertilisers.
• Improved performance of water intensive industries.
• Innovations in the design of shipping so that fewer alterations to natural river channels are
required for commercial navigation.
• Dam and reservoir operations that mimic natural flow regimes.
• New technologies that reduce water consumption by sanitation and energy production
processes.
• Restoration techniques to re-establish valuable natural functions in heavily degraded
freshwater systems.
Yet none of these tools will be effective in isolation. Indeed, if one solution is pursued while other issues or
sectors are ignored, the effects are at best strictly localised and at worst temporary and ultimately futile.
Integrated river basin management (IRBM) provides the framework in which the full range of tools and
approaches can come into play, with multiple sectors working together, rather than at cross-purposes, to manage
and conserve freshwater resources sustainably and equitably.
Conservation Underway
The species is protected by law in Sri Lanka, and is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
L. t. tardigradus occurs in several protected reserves in Sri Lanka, but remains at risk from habitat destruction
due to illegal logging within these reserves. A few individuals of this subspecies are kept in captivity. Many
populations occur outside of protected areas.L. t. nycticeboides occurs in the Horton Plains National Park and
possibly in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary (Sabaragamuwa Province), although more research is needed to
confirm its presence here. Sri Lankan researchers are currently carrying out a long-term study into the
conservation status of this subspecies.
LORRIS (Land Owners Restore Rainforest in Sri Lanka) is a non-governmental organisation established in
2002 by scientists and landowners in the Pitigala area of Sri Lanka. LORRIS landowners hoping to save what
remains of the country’s wet zone rainforests have pledged a portion of their private land to reforestation and a
corridor project connecting remaining rainforest on either side of the boundary of Galle and Kaluthara districts
in the southwestern lowland areas of Sri Lanka. Over 7000 seedlings have already been planted as part of this
scheme. The organisation is also currently undertaking education and awareness programmes in the project
locality, and encouraging local farmers to switch to sustainable community-based timber cultivation, and grow
lesser known edible fruits, spices and medicinal plants, as well as helping to boost the income of local farmers
through ecotourism activities.
The Primate Conservation Society of Sri Lanka was established by a group of young Sri Lankan researchers to
promote the conservation of the country’s primates (particularly lorises) and implement research activities that
will lead to their long-term conservation. The society now counts as members an international team of
primatologists. Members of this society are currently mapping the distribution of the slender loris in the wet
zone of Sri Lanka and implementing education and awareness programmes for local people.
Projects
Conservation Proposed
The most important conservation measures proposed are a reduction in habitat loss and the establishment of
corridors between heavily fragmented forest patches. Education and awareness programmes are important to
reduce illegal logging, instances of human-induced forest fires, pesticide usage and illegal encroachment, and to
reduce the extraction of seedlings as firewood. Further detailed surveys of the status and distribution of the
species are required so that important areas of habitat can be identified and protected. Behavioural and
ecological studies are also needed in order to estimate the habitat requirements of the different taxa of slender
loris.LORRIS is currently fundraising to restore key slender loris habitat in the montane region of Sri Lanka
(Hatton and Adams Peak). More than 1000 acres of private land plus 400 acres of State-owned scrub land will
allocated for this project, which aims to create a forested corridor between the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and
the Ambagamuwa forest. The organisation also hopes to create Sri Lanka’s first field based Primate Study
Centre in the project locality. Funding is urgently needed to enable LORRIS to complete this important project.
Slender Loris Gasps For Survival As Urban India Expands
by Jay Shankar
Bangalore, India (AFP) Jun 27, 2006
Hunted for centuries for its purported qualities as an aphrodisiac, asthma cure and as a
kind of living voodoo doll, the tiny primate known as the Slender Loris has long faced a battle just to survive.
But the biggest threat to the rare nocturnal animal, which has a distinctive a big head, wide brown eyes and is so
small it can be held in your hand, is the recent encroachment of human activity on to patches of forest in
southern India and Sri Lanka that the primate calls home.Measuring six to 10 inches long and weighing about
350 grams (12 ounces), the Slender Loris is increasingly popping up urban India, where it has traditionally
either been killed as an omen of bad luck or captured and traded."In south India people either trade in them or
use them for black magic," Sharat Babu, senior manager of People for Animals in Bangalore, told AFP."If a
person wants to harm their enemy they will tell their black magic practitioner to use a Slender Loris and cause
damage to that exact part of the primate's body," he said."Still, to me, the destruction of their habitats is the
main reason why these Slender Loris turn up in cities," he said.Animal rights groups fear this latest trend signals
a bad omen for the animal itself -- possible extinction.The Slender Loris, with long pencil-thin arms and legs
and a brown coat, has joined a list of more than 30 species which are listed as endangered in India by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.It puts them in the precarious company
of the Asian elephant, blue whale, Indian rhinoceros, lion-tailed macaque, snow leopard and the Royal Bengal
tiger.Wildlife experts say the main reasons for the dwindling numbers of Slender Loris are as much about
animal-human conflict and deforestation as the ages-old poaching and hunting.India, one of the fastest growing
economies in the world, faces demand for more land to farm and build housing as its population of 1.1 billion
continues to burgeon.One Slender Loris now known as Murali (flute) recently found its way into the office of a
veterinarian in the southern city of Bangalore after it was rescued from a practitioner of black magic.Named
after the volunteer who found him, Murali is the 16th such primate pulled out from schools, factories and homes
in the city over the last five years.During late evenings hospital officials take him out "for an exercise" atop a
broken tree branch."He is highly stressed and weak," Babu said. "He was (rescued) four days ago and will
remain in the intensive care unit for another week. We intend to free him in a month."
Study needed
According to the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, Slender Loris are "endangered species" and a person who
harbours, trades or kills the primate is liable to penalties that include five years in prison and a fine of up to
25,000 rupees (555 dollars).But many are willing to take the risk as the "market rate" for a Slender Loris is
close to 20,000 rupees (450 dollars), a princely sum in the country where almost 300 million people live on less
than a dollar a day, Babu said.The Slender Loris is also sold for its eyes, which are cooked with herbal
medicines and eaten by some Indians who believe they are an aphrodisiac. Others believe eating the animal's
flesh cures asthma.Its skin and toe nails are dried and worn as a charm around the neck by some tribal
people.The primate survives on insects, shoots, leaves, fruits with hard skin and bird eggs -- foods which are
becoming more scarce as their habitat shrinks.Sindhu Radhakrishna, a researcher at the independent National
Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore, said the Slender Loris is "definitely in danger"."No study has been
undertaken to find the exact population of Slender Loris. But according to our estimates, based on a pilot project
in certain southern states to calculate their density, their numbers are declining," she told AFP."Long-term
studies are needed to pinpoint their numbers. For that we need huge funds," she said."Environmental stress is
affecting their birth rates," said Sindhu, who has studied the primates for almost a decade. "The infants die
early. They are trapped in many south Indian states as people believe they bring bad luck. The moment they see
them they kill them."It is also believed their body parts cure diseases like asthma. Many people cage them for
the fun of it as they look cute. In the past they were used for scientific studies in laboratories," she said.Sindhu
echoed Babu's views that the disappearing "canopy cover" was the crucial factor threatening the primate's
survival. "They feel secure only when they cling on to tree branches. If a tree is cut then there is no continuity
for them to move about. So they come down to the ground and in the process they get electrocuted or run over
by trucks," she said."Awareness and strict enforcement of law is the key for their survival," she said, but added
education about the animal was vital."One needs to educate the villagers who live near the forests about Slender
Loris. Indiscriminate cutting of trees and old beliefs that it is an omen can only be overcome only through
education. That is the only way we can help Slender Loris survive," she said.
Source: Agence France-Presse

Love potions threaten survival of lorises

Lorises--small, nocturnal primates found throughout Asia--are threatened by wildlife trade at levels that may be
detrimental to their survival, according to researchers from Malaysia, Australia and the UK.A study, recently
published in the American Journal of Primatology, examined the trade in slow and slender lorises in Sri Lanka,
Cambodia and Indonesia and found clear cultural differences between countries in the way the animals are
viewed, says a media release from TRAFFIC, the joint wildlife trade monitoring program of IUCN and WWF.
"Surrounded by superstition, it is believed in South and Southeast Asia that eating loris flesh can treat leprosy,
tonics made from lorises are claimed to heal wounds and broken bones and help women regain strength after
childbirth, while in Sri Lanka slender loris body parts may ward off the 'evil eye' and can be used to curse
enemies."Finally, their tears are a secret ingredient in love potions. Every year thousands of lorises are caught to
supply such uses," TRAFFIC said.The animals are also in demand from the pet trade, especially in Indonesia,
despite the animals possessing a toxic bite. "In humans a slow loris bite can lead to anaphylactic shock and even
death. As a result, in trade slow lorises often have their teeth removed," TRAFFIC explained."The tendency to
freeze when spotted by humans makes lorises particularly vulnerable to collectors. Our study shows that people
catch lorises any time they see them, usually while out looking for other animals. This makes the problem of the
loris trade a difficult one to tackle," said Anna Nekaris of the Nocturnal Primate Research Group at Oxford
Brookes University, and lead author of the study.The trade is also illegal: Lorises are protected by national laws
in every country where they occur naturally and international in slow lorises is banned through their listing in
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The study found that lorises are traded openly in large numbers at animal markets, especially in Indonesia and
Cambodia."The open trade in these animals highlights a serious lack in enforcement--laws are ignored by
wildlife traders who are obviously not afraid of legal repercussions," said Chris Shepherd of TRAFFIC
Southeast Asia, an author of the study."This exemplifies the lack of seriousness in dealing with wildlife crimes,
which is leading to many species becoming increasingly rare."Vincent Nijman of the Oxford Wildlife Trade
Research Group and an author of the paper stressed the importance of continued monitoring of legal and illegal
wildlife trade and proper analysis of these data."It is very easy for this kind of trade to slip under the radar,
despite perhaps thousands of lorises being traded annually. Irregularities in trade, as observed in our studies,
indicate that the authorities should be more vigilant and stress the need for improved monitoring and
intervention."The authors proposed that local knowledge and beliefs about lorises should be used when framing
conservation policies to protect these, and other threatened wildlife species in Asia.

Dolphins in danger
Fishermen are killing endangered Gangetic River Dolphins on a vast swath of the rivers Padma and Jamuna,
and using their oil to catch fish. The trade has become so lucrative that some fishermen have switched from
fishing to catching dolphins. Each kilogramme of oil extracted from dolphins sells for Tk 400 to Tk 500. The fat
from a healthy dolphin can produce 4 to 5 kg of oil."We found groups killing dolphins at least at thirty places in
the Padma and Jamuna," said Dr SMA Rashid, a wildlife expert who is now conducting a survey on Gharial, a
crocodile species, now thought to be extinct in Bangladesh. The Padma has reached a greater depth at Yusufpur,
at the mouth of the Baral river in Godagari. Because of this feature of the waterways, fish are abundant at these
points, and so dolphins also visit these places for food. "The fishermen have found a new way of maximising
their catch. They kill the dolphins, extract oil, and use the oil to attract more fish," said Rashid. They pour
dolphin oil in the water and then lay nets around that. The strong smell of the oil attracts fish to the net.
The same practice is going on in the Jamuna. At Lalsamar Char and Saper Char in Chilmari, and at Roumari,
killing dolphin is a booming business. "The sad part is that nobody even bothers to stop the killing, even
though the Gangetic Dolphins are an endangered species according to IUCN's Red Book," said Rashid, who
runs an organisation named the Centre for Advanced Research in Natural Resources and Management
(Carinam). "More dolphins are getting killed by fishermen now, than by river pollution," Rashid said.
Killing dolphins is a crime punishable with imprisonment under the wildlife act. "Unless we act fast, dolphins
will be lost forever from our rivers."

The Loris Lives! First Pictures of Primate Thought To Be Extinct

This cute furry primate is the first of its species to ever be photographed.
The Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides) was thought to be extinct. Between 1939 and
2002, no one spotted the animal. In 2002 someone reported a possible sighting, but didn’t get any pictures.
0diggsdigg The 2002 report inspired the Zoological Society of London and a team of Sri Lankan researchers to
launch an effort to find the 8-inch-long primate. After 200 hours of searching, they captured the first ever
pictures of the creature, which were released Monday. “The discovery improves our knowledge of this species,
but we need to focus our efforts on the conservation and restoration of the remaining montane forest where this
species still exists,” conservation biologist Dr. Craig Turner of the Zoological Society of London said in a press
release. “Currently this accounts for less than 1 percent of the land area of Sri Lanka.” The Horton Plains
slender loris is a subspecies of the red slender loris. It is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Image: AP Photo/Zoological Society of London/Ho.

Ganges river dolphin declared’s national aquatic animal

World Wide Fund for Nature India, estimates only 2,000 of them remain
Posted On Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 02:05:17 AM

New Delhi: The critically endangered Ganges river dolphin has been declared India’s national aquatic animal,
a government spokesperson said here on Tuesday. The Indian chapter of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
estimates only about 2,000 of these dolphins remain. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment and
Forests said the main reasons for the decline in the dolphin numbers to a critically low level were “poaching and
habitat degradation due to declining flow, heavy siltation and construction of barrages causing physical barrier
for this migratory species”. The decision to declare the Ganges river dolphin India’s national aquatic animal was
taken on Oct 5 last year during the first meeting of the newly-constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority,
the spokesperson added. According to the WWF, the dolphins are to be found in rivers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Now their important habitats have been
declared protected areas, the spokesperson said.