A sad day for dolphins.

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Aug 11, 2004
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The Yangtze River Dolphin is functionally extinct:eusa_boohoo:

Chinese Dolphin Deemed "Functionally Extinct"

December 13, 2006 12:05 p.m. EST


Mary K. Brunskill - All Headline News Staff Writer
Beijing, China (AHN) - A conservationist said Wednesday that a Chinese freshwater dolphin that lived in the Yangtze River is effectively extinct. An international team spent 39 days looking for the dolphin and did not find a single one, according to conservationist August Pfluger.

"There is of course a chance that we missed one or two animals, but we didn't see any and we had the best people on board our boat and the best possible technology. The baiji is functionally extinct," Pfluger said, according to AP.

"I am terribly sad. I think it is a tragedy that we weren't fast enough to save the species," he said. "We did not know the baiji was that close to extinction."

The baiji dates back about 20 million years. It's believed that this is the first time in 50 years that a mammal has become extinct.

Pfluger, the Swiss co-leader of the joint Chinese-foreign expedition, said there may still be a few baiji, but not enough to breed and prevent extinction.

The dolphin's declining numbers are probably due to overfishing and shipping traffic because the engines interfere with the sonar the it uses to navigate and feed, he said.​
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005844811

Another great day for the planet.....
 
Loved that show, how about you 'Bud'..?
I liked Lassie better... endangered species just don't have the same stage presence as domesticated animals. Plus, having June Lockhart as an owner didn't hurt, either.
 
hhhhmmmm...and Dillo thinks us not believers, centrist/normal folk are selfish...Yet just look at the reaction of most of the conservatives on this thread...interesting...
 
hhhhmmmm...and Dillo thinks us not believers, centrist/normal folk are selfish...Yet just look at the reaction of most of the conservatives on this thread...interesting...
At this point, I could use the old liberal trick of accusing you of not having a sense of humor ... but why go there?

A dolphin gets you worked up?

How about most liberals and what they refer to as a "choice".... you know... as in "a woman's right to"?
 
At this point, I could use the old liberal trick of accusing you of not having a sense of humor ... but why go there?

A dolphin gets you worked up?

How about most liberals and what they refer to as a "choice".... you know... as in "a woman's right to"?

I don't believe in abortion.

Yep, any species becoming extinct bothers me...sorry for giving a shit..but don't worry, I'm supposed to be a liberal, and therefore, vicariously, selfish...:eusa_doh:
 
Well, It's good to see that some of the people here care: Abbey Normal, Dr. Grump (if I had any rep points to give, it would be here).

20 million years of evolution.... snuffed out in the space of 30 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_River_Dolphin]
That is as significant from a human perspective as the extinction of chimps or gorillas (10 million years of seperated evolution from us). Would the rest of you who make jokes about tuna etc. be so humorous then?
 
I'm sure Glad T-Rex went extinct! :)

Are you SURE T-Rex is extinct? Have you checked all the rainforests?

However, the destruction of any animal is sad. Reasonable precautions should be taken so as not to harm any more animals than necessary.
 

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