Chinese River Dolphins Extinct

«It is possible we may have missed one or two animals», said August Pfluger, head of Swiss-based baiji.org Foundation and co-organizer of the expedition on Wednesday in Wuhan. Regardless, these animals would have no chance of survival in the river. «We have to accept the fact, that the Baiji is functionally extinct.. It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world», said Pfluger in Wuhan...

...Regarded in China as the "goddess of the Yangtze", the 20 million year
old river dolphin was one of the world's oldest species. The Baiji is
the first large mammal brought to extinction as a result of human
destruction to their natural habitat and ressources.

The disappearance of the baiji holds up a mirror with a tragic reflection, a reflection of humanity’s inability to effectively prioritize on the basis of needs. While millions of dollars flowed into exchangeable «Save-the-Whales»-Programs, the fate of the Baiji – and the other freshwater dolphins in Asia – remained unheard.

Please, don’t understand me wrong! I love minkey whales and other whale and dolphin species, I really do! Its just that it became apparent how much more attractive it is to hang out in the Antarctic on Zodiacs watching the hundred-thousand fold Minkey-Whales shooting spouts of water into the air than to search for the last living Baiji in the muddy waters of the Yangtze.

Now its too late.