During this global lockdown, mother nature is rapidly healing herself. And, the recent spotting of endangered Gangetic Dolphins in Meerut is proof of it. By Kumar Shree
As humans stay locked up inside their homes, nature outside reclaims its space. After many animal sightings around the world, the Gangetic Dolphin, an endangered breed of freshwater dolphin showed up in Meerut. Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Akash Deep Badhawan shred a clip of the same on Twitter. Check out the clip below.
DYK?
Ganges River Dolphin, our National Aquatic Animal once lived in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system is now endangered. They live in fresh water and are practically blind, with small slits as eyes.
Was fortunate to spot these in Ganges in Meerut. pic.twitter.com/BKMj8LqaIi— Akash Deep Badhawan, IFS (@aakashbadhawan) April 27, 2020
“DYK? Ganges River Dolphin, our National Aquatic Animal once lived in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system is now endangered. They live in freshwater and are practically blind, with small slits as eyes. Was fortunate to spot these in the Ganges in Meerut,” he wrote while sharing the video.
Sharing more information about the wonderful creature he also wrote, “Officially discovered in 1801, these creatures are practically blind, with small slits for eyes. They hunt using ultrasonic sounds to track other fishes in the vicinity. Usually, solo, sometimes they are found in small groups, especially mother and calf.”
He also revealed the dark side of these dolphin’s fate and wrote, “Their habitat is largely tracts of the Ganges where fish is aplenty and water currents are slow. Here dense human population has led to fishermen catching them along with other fish and become a ‘bycatch’. However, they are still hunted at times for their meat and oil by few!”
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Earlier, the Olive Ridley turtles returned to the beaches of Odisha this year, a Nilgai was seen roaming in Noida, Pink Flamingos registered their presence in Mumbai, Malabar Civet showed up after years in Kozhikode, and Sambar Deer was seen strolling in Chandigarh. While their sight brings joy to us, it also raises questions about what we, as humans, have done to their territories and freedom.
His video has already amassed 29.3K views at the time of writing this article and the internet is going gaga over it. However, we should really take some moment to reflect on what we have given back to nature.
Related: Wild Animals Are Exploring Cities During The Coronavirus Lockdown
