Mekong dolphins almost extinct
WWF are saying that pollution has pushed the freshwater dolphins of the Mekong to the brink of extinction, with only 64-76 Irrawaddy dolphins left. The Mekong flows through China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and the pollutants that are affecting it are widely distributed, which means it would take a cross-border effort to help the dolphins.
Since 2003 there have been 88 deaths of which over 60% were calves less than 2 weeks old. These were mostly killed by a bacterial disease which the WWF argued would not have been fatal if the dolphins’ immune systems had not been suppressed by environmental contaminants. The calves had toxic levels of pesticides such as DDT and contaminants such as PCBs. Some of them also had high levels of mercury.
For more there is a story on the BBC website.
Tags: Wildlife