Older Than Mankind... And Gone Forever

For 20 million years, the baiji -- a freshwater dolphin -- lived in China's Yangzte river, making it one of Earth's oldest living species. To give you an idea of what that time frame means, the earliest modern human remains found are 130,000 years old. The baiji had existed more than 15 times longer than humanity.

No more.

A survey of the Yangzte conducted by the swiss-based Baiji.org Foundation returned this week and reported no sightings. "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 August Pfluger, head of the organization and an organizer of the expidition. "Now we do not have to discuss any longer. We have lost the race. The Baiji has gone."

A number of factors may have contributed to the species extinction.

New York Times:

In
the last few decades, the dolphin’s numbers plunged as rapidly as the Chinese economy surged. The Yangtze’s sandy shallows, which the baiji frequented, have largely been dredged for shipping.

The baiji sought fish that have been netted or driven from the river by pollution. And its sonar may have been disrupted by the propeller noise
from boats above. A 1997 survey counted 13 baiji in the river. None of the dolphins survive in captivity.

China's massive Three Gorges Dam project couldn't have helped any. The huge public works project has drastically altered the habit.

In his blog, Pfluger expressed his frustration in trying to get the world to pay attention to the plight of the dolphin. "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," he wrote. "...it became apparent how much more attractive it is to hang out in the Antarctic on Zodiacs watching the hundred-thousand fold Minkey-Whales [sic] shooting spouts of water into the air than to search for the last living Baiji in the muddy waters of the Yangtze." Pfluger made it clear
he's concerned for all species, but worries that less desperate causes are better supported.

According to the NYT, the document reporting Pfluger's findings was simply titled, "The End." The loss of the baiji marks the first modern extinction of a Cetacean species.