Let’s save the wildlife – Yangtze Finless Porpoise- (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis)

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise is the odd one out of its family as it is the only living freshwater porpoise found in the world. This aquatic mammal currently resides in the Yangtze River in China and is listed as a critically endangered species. While the Yangtze river plays a crucial role in healthy ecosystem functioning, years of environmental degradation, overfishing and water pollution in the region are having detrimental impacts on many animal species who call it their home.

Once upon a time, Yangtze river dolphins used to live alongside finless porpoises, but there haven’t been any freshwater dolphin sightings for the past two decades. Sadly, this could be yet another stark reminder of what soon may follow for many endangered species, including the Yangtze finless porpoise.To protect this species, China has upgraded finless porpoises to ‘first level protected species’ in 2021—the highest level of protection available in the country. In 2018, their numbers were still around 1,000 individuals and stabilising in the wild.

_{Izvor: (https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/endangered-animals) – Fotografija: (https://www.gettyimages.com)}