Assam: Endangered river dolphins spotlighted in 71st Wildlife Week

Guwahati: Assam joined the rest of India on Thursday in celebrating the 71st Wildlife Week (October 2–8, 2025), placing the endangered Gangetic Dolphin , India’s National Aquatic Animal at the heart of the campaign for river conservation.

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The Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica), India’s National Aquatic Animal, is found mainly in the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems. A blind freshwater dolphin, it relies on echolocation to navigate and hunt.

This iconic species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN, facing threats like habitat fragmentation, water pollution, and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

 Let’s keep our rivers clean and safe, so the Gangetic Dolphin continues to thrive in the wild!

Himanta Biswa Sarma

CMO Assam," Assam forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary wrote on X on Thursday morning.

Experts warn that the Gangetic Dolphin population, once numbering in tens of thousands, has sharply declined due to river damming, industrial discharge, plastic pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), fewer than 3,500 individuals now survive across South Asia, with Assam’s Brahmaputra basin being one of their last strongholds.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declared 2021–2030 the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration,” and conservationists stress that the dolphin’s survival is directly linked to the health of India’s rivers. “If the dolphin disappears, it will signal the death of our freshwater ecosystems,” said a senior wildlife biologist at Gauhati University.

Assam has already taken steps through the Brahmaputra Dolphin Conservation Project, but experts argue stronger measures are needed , stricter pollution controls, river connectivity safeguards, and awareness among fishing communities.

As the Wildlife Week unfolds, campaigners insist that the Gangetic Dolphin’s fate should serve as a wake-up call.

Protecting this iconic species, they say, is not just about saving one animal, but about securing clean rivers, biodiversity, and water security for future generations.