Posted on 26 April 2013
- Palawan, Philippines: A new Philippine
population of critically-endangered Irrawaddy
dolphins was reported recently by WWF-Philippines.
Spotted by chance off
Quezon, Palawan in Western Philippines,
this pod of rare marine mammals, locally
called Lampasut, was observed displaying
typical behavior, foraging for prey around
lift net fish traps sitting approximately
one kilometer offshore.
WWF staff reported seeing
at least 20 individuals in just one sighting.
This is a relatively large sized pod for
this uncommon species, where groups of fewer
than six individuals are most common.
Previous populations
of these dolphins have been documented in
Malampaya Sound, as well as off the island
of Panay.
The Quezon pod represents
the fourth known group of Irrawaddy dolphins
reported in the Philippines.
The Irrawaddy dolphin
(Orcaella brevirostris), is a euryhaline
species of oceanic dolphin.
With the ability to
adapt to a wide range of salinities, this
dolphin is found in discontinuous subpopulations
near coasts and in estuaries and rivers
in areas stretching from the Bay of Bengal
to New Guinea and the Philippines.
Lightly colored all
over, Irrawaddy dolphins are similar to
the beluga in appearance. They have a blunt,
rounded head, and an indistinct beak. Their
dorsal fin is short, blunt and triangular.
In the wild, they have
been seen spitting out streams of water,
a rather unique and peculiar behavior.
Contrary to what some
people believe, this animal is not a true
river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that
lives in brackish water near coasts, river
mouths and in estuaries.
This species enjoys
the highest level of international protection.
All trade is forbidden, under international
agreements. Some Irrawaddy dolphin populations
are classified by the IUCN as critically
endangered.
This includes the Malampaya
Sound sub-population in the Philippines.
Irrawaddy dolphins in general however, are
IUCN listed as a vulnerable species, which
applies throughout their whole range.
In 2004, CITES transferred
the Irrawaddy dolphin from Appendix II to
Appendix I, which forbids all commercial
trade in species that are threatened with
extinction. The Irrawaddy dolphin is listed
on both Appendixes I and II of the Convention
on the Conservation of Migratory Species
of Wild Animals.
Photos of the Quezon
pod were captured, positively confirming
species identity. For Palawan, this is a
very good sign. Though wholly unexpected,
this surprise is a tremendous new discovery
to celebrate Earth Day in the Coral Triangle.
+ More
First evidence of a
leatherback turtle along Pakistan’s coastline
Posted on 29 April 2013
- Pakistan: A leatherback turtle, one of
the rarest living reptiles, was recently
caught and safely released back into the
sea by a group of fishermen near Surbandar
village, Gwadar, Balochistan province in
Pakistan.
WWF-Pakistan staff helped
in the rescue and release of this turtle.
This rescue, along with the recent location
of a large population of olive Ridley turtles
from offshore waters previously thought
to be extinct from the area, is a positive
sign for the marine biodiversity of Pakistan.
Along the coast of Pakistan
five species of marine turtles are reported
to occur which include green, olive Ridley,
hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherback turtles.
Of these, leatherback is considered to be
the rarest species occurring along the area
and indeed globally; they are one of the
most endangered species of marine turtles.
Previously there were
a number of reports about occurrence of
leatherback from Pakistan including a dead
leatherback turtle recorded from Pushukan
near Gwadar in 2002 but no living turtle
was recorded from the country before.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan,
Technical Adviser in marine fisheries for
WWF-Pakistan pointed out that since leatherback
turtles feed only jellyfish, their occurrence
in the country may be on account of a recurrence
of jellyfish blooms in the coastal areas.
He pointed out that the global population
of this species was estimated to be 115,000
adult females in 1982. By 1996 this had
been revised down to about 30-40,000.
Leatherback populations
in the Indian Ocean have undergone dramatic
declines in the past forty years. The nesting
colony at Terengganu, Malaysia went from
more than 3,000 females in 1968, to 20 in
1993, to just 2 recorded recently with no
signs of recovery.
WWF-Pakistan with the
support of provincial wildlife departments
has been involved in turtle conservation
and awareness programmes along Sindh and
Balochistan coasts for almost two decades.
With the establishment and strengthening
of sanctuaries and wildlife refuges as well
as awareness raising activities, local communities
are now better equipped to protect turtles
and their nests and reduce bycatch in fishing
gears as evidence from the recent finds
show.
