5 years imprisonment for killing rare blind dolphin of Indus river

Dr Abdul Waheed
SUKKUR: The local court of Sukkur city sentenced the accused who killed the rare blind dolphin of the Indus river to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of 2.5 lakh rupees.
In the year 2021, a rare blind dolphin was trapped and died in the net of a man named Mansoor Mirani, after which a case was registered against the accused by the Wildlife Department.
The Additional Sessions Judge has sentenced the accused Munsoor Mirani to imprisonment and fine after being found guilty, the accused has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 250,000 for killing blind dolphins.
It should be noted that the blind dolphin of the Indus river, which is also called Bhulan in Sindhi language, is the rarest species in the world, which is found only in the Indus river and the Ganga river in India. These dolphins are naturally blind and navigate the water by sound.
Experts say that there is a slight difference in the breed of dolphins of the two countries due to which they have been declared as separate species.
The rare blind dolphins often stray from the Indus River and enter the canals and sometimes get stuck. In this case, it is very important to remove them immediately and send them back to the river otherwise their death is certain.
Due to loss of way and other threats, this dolphin’s survival is threatened and due to the rapid decline in their numbers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put it on the list of endangered species.
Environmentalists say chemicals and other pollution in the Indus River, along with construction of dams, accidental entanglement of dolphins in fishing nets, reduction in freshwater flow, and meat and oil production have all contributed to the increase. The hunting of dolphins is leading to the extinction of its species