Chinadaily.com.cn
     
    Go Adv Search
    Rare river porpoises showing up dead

    Rare river porpoises showing up dead

    Updated: 2012-04-18 07:33

    By Wang Qian (China Daily)

      Comments() Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

    Within the last month and a half, the corpses of 12 endangered finless porpoises, including a pregnant one, have been found around Dongting Lake, Hunan province.

    It has triggered worries from experts about the rare species possibly becoming extinct.

    Rare river porpoises showing up dead

    Fishery administration workers record the size of a freshwater finless porpoise, an endangered species unique to China, in Yueyang, Hunan province, last week. The remains of 12 porpoises, known as "river pigs", were found along the Yangtze River over a period of less than two months. Scientists blamed pollution for the deaths. [Photo by Xu Dianbo/For China Daily]

    Scientists said finless porpoises, which have lived in the Yangtze River and adjacent lakes for more than 20 million years, will become extinct within 15 years. The porpoises are also called "river pigs".

    "Apparently the prolonged drought and low water level due to climate change and increasing offshore human activities are reducing the living space for finless porpoises, accelerating its extinction," Wang Kexiong, an expert of the Institute of Hydrobiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told China Daily.

    It is the first time he has heard of so many dead porpoises found within such a short period.

    Xu Yaping, a journalist from Hunan's Yueyang city who is campaigning to ensure the survival of the species, said when most of the corpses were dissected no food was found in their digestion systems.

    Xie Yongjun, an associate professor of animal husbandry at Yueyang Vocational and Technical College, told China Daily the porpoises may have died due to starvation, poisoning or infectious disease.

    There were no obvious injuries in the three corpses he dissected, Xie added.

    The Yueyang bureau of aquatic products and animal husbandry is also testing the water in Dongting Lake. A report is expected within the week.

    Local fishermen are questioning whether water pollution may be the cause of death.

    Li Renhong, a fisherman in Dongting Lake, told City Express, a newspaper affiliated to Hangzhou Daily, that water pollution has been severe in recent years, and it was not rare to see dead fish and other aquatic animals.

    Dong Lijun, a professor of the Institute of Hydrobiology, said that because porpoises live in families, one member dying could endanger the others.

    Although scientists and environment protection organizations have suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture upgrade the conservation level of the finless porpoise, it remains a Grade 2.

    Scientists estimate the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has decreased to 1,000 - less than giant pandas.

    That is down from about 2,700 in 1991, according to the Institute of Hydrobiology.

    Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

    亚洲一区二区三区无码影院| 久久久无码精品午夜| 精品无码久久久久久久久久| 一区 二区 三区 中文字幕| 中文字幕理伦午夜福利片| 色综合久久无码五十路人妻| 精品无人区无码乱码毛片国产| 精品久久久久久久中文字幕| 伊人久久一区二区三区无码| 人妻少妇精品无码专区二区 | 国产V亚洲V天堂无码久久久| 中文字幕欧美日本亚洲| 中文字幕在线观看亚洲| 夜夜精品无码一区二区三区| yy111111少妇无码影院| 亚洲AV无码精品色午夜果冻不卡| 久久亚洲中文字幕精品一区| 亚洲色中文字幕无码AV| 中文字幕乱码一区二区免费| 久久久久久国产精品无码下载| 无码人妻久久一区二区三区 | 中文字幕免费观看| 亚洲精品无码永久中文字幕| 亚洲高清无码综合性爱视频| 无码人妻一区二区三区免费视频 | 国产精品无码久久综合| 亚洲中文字幕无码久久精品1| 日韩精品无码人妻一区二区三区 | 在线观看片免费人成视频无码 | 亚洲AV无码专区国产乱码4SE| 最近免费中文字幕中文高清| 最近2019中文字幕大全第二页| 中文字幕人成乱码在线观看| 欧洲精品无码一区二区三区在线播放| 亚洲日韩VA无码中文字幕 | 亚洲精品无码鲁网中文电影| 亚洲国产AV无码专区亚洲AV| 亚洲av永久无码精品网站| 无码国产伦一区二区三区视频| 色爱无码AV综合区| 国产精品无码永久免费888 |