India’s most sacred river, the Ganges, is home to thousands of unique dolphins—but their survival is in danger.
Unlike their ocean-dwelling cousins, these river dolphins don’t leap or swim upright. Instead, they glide sideways, remain underwater for long periods, have long snouts, and are nearly blind. These are Gangetic dolphins—India’s national aquatic animal—primarily found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system in northern India.
A new survey by the Wildlife Institute of India recorded 6,327 river dolphins across 58 rivers in 10 states between 2021 and 2023. Of these, 6,324 are Gangetic dolphins, and just three are Indus dolphins—most of which are now found in Pakistan.
Both species are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). River dolphins are often referred to as “living fossils,” having evolved from marine ancestors millions of years ago. They adapted to the shallow, murky rivers of South Asia after the sea once flooded the region.
The recent population count is a vital step in tracking their numbers. Since 1980, at least 500 river dolphins in India have died—many caught in fishing nets or deliberately killed. While conservation awareness has improved since the early 2000s, threats persist.
Dolphins are still hunted for their flesh and blubber, used as bait in fishing. Others die after collisions with boats or entanglement in nets. Fear of legal repercussions often leads fishermen to dispose of the bodies secretly, as Indian law treats such killings as serious wildlife offenses.
The rise of river cruise tourism in recent years has added pressure on the dolphins’ habitat. Experts warn that noise from increased boat traffic could drive them toward extinction, as happened with China’s Yangtze river dolphins.
Gangetic dolphins are especially vulnerable due to their poor vision, reliance on echolocation, slow movement, and low birth rate—females produce only one calf every 2–3 years.
Despite the challenges, conservationists remain cautiously optimistic. Government efforts, such as the 2009 designation of the Gangetic dolphin as the national aquatic animal, a 2020 action plan, and a dedicated research center opened in 2024, have helped stabilize the population. Still, much more needs to be done to ensure their long-term survival.
