Irrawaddy dolphins functionally extinct in Laos

The population of critically endangered Mekong River Dolphins or its also called Irrawaddy Dolphins in the Cheuteal trans, boundary pool between southern Laos and northern Cambodia has shrunk by 50% this year alone and the population is functionally extinct in Laos, according to WWF.

Irrawaddy dolphins can be found in some coastal areas in Asia but there are only three freshwater subpopulations, in the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, the Mahakam River in Indonesia, and the Mekong River in Cambodia and the Lao PDR.

The use of gill nets, especially unmanned gill nets, is thought to be one of the main reasons for the demise of the dolphins. Gill nets are vertical panels of netting set in a straight line across a river to catch fish. Being large aquatic mammals, Mekong River dolphins, as well as other endangered aquatic species, are often caught in gill nets, and drown as a consequence.

In my opinion, we have to solve this problem as soon as possible. If we are not, then we fear that in a year or two, there may be no more dolphins in Laos. We wish that The Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River will not disappear from Lao waters, because it may cause a hard blow to eco-tourism in the area. As a human, we should not treat animals badly. We need to protect them and love them.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?282590/Irrawaddy-dolphins-functionally-extinct-in-Laos