ForumIAS announcing GS Foundation Program for UPSC CSE 2025-26 from 19 April. Click Here for more information.
ForumIAS Answer Writing Focus Group (AWFG) for Mains 2024 commencing from 24th June 2024. The Entrance Test for the program will be held on 28th April 2024 at 9 AM. To know more about the program visit: https://forumias.com/blog/awfg2024
News:Recently,Odisha Forest Department has sighted 146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake.
Facts:
About Irrawaddy Dolphins:
- Irrawaddy Dolphins(Orcaella Brevirostris) are oceanic dolphin found in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and estuaries in South and Southeast Asia.
- Habitat:It extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines.
- They are found in three rivers namely The Irrawaddy (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong.
- Features:They have a bulging forehead and short beak.They pop out their head out of the water to breathe followed by its back.
- Status:They are listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red list.
- Population:The total population in the world is estimated to be less than 7,500.Of these,around 6,400 Irrawaddy dolphins have been reported from Bangladesh.
- The dolphin distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population.
- Threat:They had been under stress in Chilika lake due to unregulated boating by tourists as well as illegal prawn enclosures.
Additional information:
About Chilika lake:
- Chilika lake is the Asia’s largest brackish water lake.It is located at the Daya River flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
- The lake is also the second largest coastal lagoon in the world after the New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia.
- Chilika lake was also designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1981.
