PATNA: A Gangetic dolphin was found dead near the NIT ghat in Patna on Saturday. The four-feet-long susu, weighing around 40kg, died apparently after it got trapped in a fishing net.

These freshwater dolphins were declared endangered species in 1996. The Patna high court had in 2011 directed the Bihar government to check dolphin deaths after reports surfaced that they could be poached for their meat, skin and oil. Freshwater dolphins number only 2,000 to 2,500 in India.

Sources in the district environment and forest department said the dolphin was found floating near the NIT ghat. Locals informed police. "It prima facie appears that the dolphin died due to suffocation, but we can't be very sure about the cause of death at this moment. We will reach a conclusion in this regard only after the postmortem report comes," said a department official.

Patna University's zoology teacher R K Sinha, an expert on dolphins, said this was not an isolated case of dolphin death. "Dolphins are often found dead in the area. They get trapped in fishing nets... Being a mammal, they can't breathe under water," he said.

According to Prof Sinha, also known as Dolphin Man, he was recently informed by local fishermen that some fishermen were poisoning dolphins. "Local fishermen are probably feeding Celphos tablets to fish. When dolphins consume it, they die. I have brought this to the notice of officials of environment and forest department as well as the Patna district administration," he said, pleading that the autopsy should be performed properly and if it was found to be case of a case of Celphos poisoning, the administration should initiate immediate steps to check it.

