Whales, dolphins, of Bangladesh

This video is called Sundarban- The Beautiful Forest of Bangladesh.

From DPA news agency:

Bangladeshi waters rich haven for dolphins, whales

Dhaka – Researchers have identified waters along Bangladesh’s coast and deep in the Bay of Bengal as one of the richest areas on Earth for cetacean diversity. An amazing array of dolphins and whales live in these areas, the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Bangladesh’s Cetacean Diversity Project said after conducting a joint study over the past six years.

But scientists at the same time warned that the habitats of these aquatic mammals are increasingly in danger because of declining freshwater flows from the Ganges River and global climate change. …

The prime cetacean habitat extends across the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans Reserve Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the mouth of the Ganges and the habitat of rare species like the Bengal tiger, as well as offshore at a 900-plus-metre-deep undersea canyon known as the Swatch of No Ground.

The dolphin species ranged from Ganges River dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins in the rivers, finless porpoises and Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins in the coastal waters and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose, spinner, and pantropical spotted dolphin along with Bryde’s whales at the Swatch of No Ground. …

This video says about itself:

24 September 2014

This Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin was filmed playing in shallow waters off the western side of Fraser Island, Australia in September 2014. She seemed intrigued by the drone that was used to film her and her calf in their natural habitat.
Unfortunately this species is listed as ‘near threatened’ due to habitat destruction and degradation from urban and coastal development (among other things).

The article continues:

Both local and international experts urged Bangladesh’s government to take initiatives to conserve cetaceans. Doing so, they said, could transform the mammals into a foreign-exchange resource.

In having the most diverse habitat for dolphins and whales, Bangladesh could become an important tourist destination, especially for dolphin lovers, they said.

“The diversity of cetaceans and the abundance we have recorded is remarkable and indicates that a large population of these species remain in our waters,” said Benazir Ahmed, who began supervising the project beginning in July 2006.

He said the Irrawaddy dolphin population of about 6,000 in Bangladesh was probably the world’s largest.

See also here.

Huge new population of Irrawaddy dolphins discovered in Bangladesh – Other dolphins get extra protection: here.

Rare Indus dolphin rescued and tagged in Pakistan: here.

Ganges River dolphins threatened by oil prospecting: here.

The elusive freshwater dolphin of the sacred Ganga: here.

Bryde’s whale found dead after ship strike: here.

Mammals in crisis – New IUCN Red List published.

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