WWF-"Mekong Dolphins On The Brink Of Extinction"
By Matt J. Weiss, June 19, 2009 @ 06:21 PM (EST)
Source: Panda.org
The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population
inhabits a 190km stretch of the Mekong River between Cambodia and Lao
PDR. Since 2003, the population has suffered 88 deaths of which over 60
percent were calves under two weeks old. The latest population is
estimated between 64 and 76 members.
“Necropsy analysis identified a bacterial disease as the cause of the calf deaths. This disease would not be fatal unless the dolphin’s immune systems were suppressed, as they were in these cases, by environmental contaminants,” said Dr Verné Dove, report author and veterinarian with WWF Cambodia.
Researchers found toxic levels of pesticides such as DDT and environmental contaminants such as PCBs during analysis of the dead dolphin calves. These pollutants may also pose a health risk to human populations living along the Mekong that consume the same fish and water as the dolphins.
“These pollutants are widely distributed in the environment and so the source of this pollution may involve several countries through which the Mekong River flows. WWF Cambodia is currently investigating the source of the environmental contaminants,” said Dr Dove.
“Necropsy analysis identified a bacterial disease as the cause of the calf deaths. This disease would not be fatal unless the dolphin’s immune systems were suppressed, as they were in these cases, by environmental contaminants,” said Dr Verné Dove, report author and veterinarian with WWF Cambodia.
Researchers found toxic levels of pesticides such as DDT and environmental contaminants such as PCBs during analysis of the dead dolphin calves. These pollutants may also pose a health risk to human populations living along the Mekong that consume the same fish and water as the dolphins.
“These pollutants are widely distributed in the environment and so the source of this pollution may involve several countries through which the Mekong River flows. WWF Cambodia is currently investigating the source of the environmental contaminants,” said Dr Dove.
Comments
Be the first to add a comment to this article.
You must be logged in to comment.
Related Content
July 14, 2009, 9:24AM
What’s the state of the world’s waters? Two years and tons of calculations from now, one number will tell the story - the Ocean more
June 1, 2009, 12:42AM
Land-based pollution altering ocean life off the larger islands more
May 13, 2009, 12:45PM
Manado Indonesia is hosting the World Ocean Conference this week. The WWF released a report at the conference on the state of the more
March 5, 2009, 2:00AM
Human activities have greatly increased the abundance of these nutrients, causing the overproduction of aquatic plants and algae more
December 11, 2008, 2:00AM
Newborn striped bass become contaminated before birth. Pesticides, Flame retardants, and other industrial chemicals are all to more
Sponsors
What's New
