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Scientists probe deaths of finless Yangtze porpoises
By Li Qian |
April 17, 2012, Tuesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
TWELVE finless porpoises, an endangered species in the Yangtze River, have been found dead in Dongting Lake, the flood basin of the river in central Hunan Province, since March 3.
Postmortem examinations showed most of these porpoises had no food in their digestive systems and they did not have any fatal wounds.
Veterinarians said they might have died of poisoning, starvation or an infectious disease, and further investigation is under way to find the causes of their death, Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported today.
Yueyang City has mobilized people to patrol the lake to prevent more deaths of Yangtze porpoises and has collected water samples for examination. The test result will be published in five days.
Dead porpoises were also found in Poyang Lake, another flood basin of the Yangtze River in the neighboring Jiangxi Province, the report said.
Indigenous to the Yangtze River, the finless porpoise is listed as a wildlife species under second-class protection. Despite its protected status, finless porpoise population continued to shrink in recent years.
According to a survey by the Institute of Hydrobiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the number of Yangtze porpoises is around 1,000 in 2011.
Postmortem examinations showed most of these porpoises had no food in their digestive systems and they did not have any fatal wounds.
Veterinarians said they might have died of poisoning, starvation or an infectious disease, and further investigation is under way to find the causes of their death, Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported today.
Yueyang City has mobilized people to patrol the lake to prevent more deaths of Yangtze porpoises and has collected water samples for examination. The test result will be published in five days.
Dead porpoises were also found in Poyang Lake, another flood basin of the Yangtze River in the neighboring Jiangxi Province, the report said.
Indigenous to the Yangtze River, the finless porpoise is listed as a wildlife species under second-class protection. Despite its protected status, finless porpoise population continued to shrink in recent years.
According to a survey by the Institute of Hydrobiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the number of Yangtze porpoises is around 1,000 in 2011.
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