Two dolphins found dead in Turag River

Within just 12 hours two dolphin carcasses were recovered from the Turag River at Ashulia Bazar area in Savar upazila of Dhaka until Monday noon.

After the local fisherman fished out a dead dolphin weighing three mounds on Sunday afternoon, locals spotted another floating near Felaghat area on Monday noon.

This time the dolphin weighed around 5 mounds said, Kamrul Islam Sarkar, a senior fisheries officer in Savar upazila, reports UNB.

He said the dolphin recovered on Sunday was a Ganges Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) according to a researcher from Jahangirnagar University.

“These dolphins had sanctuary in Padma and Jamuna River in Bangladesh but in the last 10-15 years this species was not heard to be spotted in this region” said Kamrul.

He said they are trying to identify the species of the dolphin found today. Experts are also trying to determine the cause of their deaths.

The government incorporated a punishment of maximum five-year jail or highest Tk 0.50 million fine for repeated killings of dolphins in the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act.

On October 19, the government approved the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan” to protect the habitat of dolphins in Bangladesh.