Endangered Indus Dolphin Found Dead in Pakistan, Wildlife Officials Order Autopsy
DERA GHAZI KHAN, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: An endangered Indus River dolphin has been found dead along the Indus in Pakistan’s Dera Ghazi Khan district, prompting wildlife authorities to launch an investigation and order an autopsy to establish the exact cause of death.
The carcass was discovered near the riverbank in the Shero Jadeed area, east of Arainwala Siper, close to a crossing used by local boat passengers, according to current Pakistani media reports.
Wildlife officials transferred the animal to Dera Ghazi Khan for a post-mortem examination.
Additional Chief Wildlife Ranger for South Punjab Sheikh Muhammad Zahid told Express that no obvious injury marks were visible on the dolphin’s body, meaning officials could not immediately conclude that it had been hunted or deliberately killed.
The final cause of death will be determined after the examination.
Dolphin May Have Been Stranded as Water Receded
Zahid said the dolphin was believed to have reached the area during recent flooding as higher water flows expanded its accessible habitat.
According to his preliminary account, when the water level subsequently dropped, the dolphin may have been unable to return to the main river channel and remained trapped in the area.
That explanation remains preliminary and should not be treated as the confirmed cause of death.
A separate report by Dawn raises another possibility.
Former senior WWF-Pakistan conservation officer Umer Waqas, who examined the carcass, said the animal appeared to be a two-year-old female sub-adult. With no visible external injuries, he said its death appeared consistent with suffocation after becoming entangled in a fishing net and being prevented from reaching the surface to breathe.
Again, this is an expert’s preliminary assessment rather than the autopsy’s final conclusion.
Illegal Fishing Practices Under Scrutiny
Local residents and conservation activists have raised concerns about fishing practices in the area.
Advocate Atta Ullah, who visited the location and informed wildlife officials, alleged that some fishing contractors use prohibited nets and other illegal techniques. He said nets used to catch fish can also trap dolphins.
Those allegations have not yet been established as the cause of this particular dolphin’s death.
Newly appointed Wildlife Deputy Chief Ranger Amir Niazi said evidence would be collected and the incident thoroughly investigated, with legal proceedings to follow if violations were established.
New 198-Kilometre Dolphin Sanctuary
The death is particularly significant because Punjab recently established the Panjnad Indus River Dolphin Wildlife Sanctuary to strengthen protection of the endangered freshwater mammal.
According to Express, the sanctuary covers approximately 123 miles, or 198 kilometres, of the Indus from the Jampur-Bait Lundi Patifi area to Guddu Barrage.
The new Punjab sanctuary has been connected with an existing protected dolphin zone in Sindh.
Together, the protected areas create a continuous legally protected corridor of about 249 miles, or roughly 400 kilometres, along the Indus, according to the report.
The latest death has nevertheless prompted conservationists to argue that formally designating protected areas must be accompanied by stronger enforcement, monitoring and rapid-response mechanisms.
Around 660 Dolphins Reported in Punjab
Express reports that Punjab’s Indus dolphin population is estimated at approximately 660 animals, with around two-thirds living within the area now covered by the newly designated sanctuary.
Across the wider Indus system, conservation efforts have helped the species recover substantially from historically low levels.
WWF-Pakistan figures cited by Express indicate that around 1,200 dolphins were counted in 2001, with the population later increasing to approximately 2,000.
The recovery is considered an important conservation achievement, but the species continues to face serious threats.
Why Is the Indus Dolphin Endangered?
The Indus River dolphin is a freshwater cetacean adapted to the turbid waters of the Indus system. It relies primarily on echolocation rather than vision to navigate and hunt.
The species’ habitat has been fragmented by barrages and irrigation infrastructure, isolating populations in different stretches of the river.
Pollution, accidental entanglement in fishing gear, illegal fishing practices and dolphins becoming stranded in irrigation canals or shallow waterways are among the continuing threats identified by conservation organisations.
Dolphin strandings are not unprecedented in the region.
Previous incidents have required wildlife teams to rescue animals that entered canals connected to the Indus, particularly around the Sukkur Barrage system.
Previous Deaths Highlight Conservation Risks
Earlier cases demonstrate why determining the cause of each death is important.
In January 2024, an Indus dolphin was found dead in a canal in Sukkur district after water levels fell during annual barrage maintenance, according to later reporting on dolphin conservation.
Other incidents have involved deliberate killings.
In 2023, wildlife authorities reported that an Indus dolphin that travelled through the Kirthar Canal toward Balochistan was shot dead.
The circumstances surrounding the latest Dera Ghazi Khan death are therefore materially different and remain under investigation.
Conservationists Demand Stronger Monitoring
Local activists have called for a more effective rescue and monitoring system along the Indus, particularly during periods when water levels decline.
They argue that wildlife teams need to identify stranded dolphins before falling water levels leave them isolated from deeper channels.
Conservation experts have also called for stricter enforcement of fishing regulations inside protected dolphin habitats.
For the latest case, the most important evidence will come from the wildlife department’s post-mortem examination.
Until those results are available, neither hunting, fishing-net entanglement nor stranding caused by receding water can responsibly be presented as the confirmed cause of death.
