Shaheer Ahmed
In Sukkur, which is home to the rare blind dolphin, a man who murdered the endangered Indus River blind dolphin received five years in prison and a fine of Rs0.25 million in addition to his sentence.
According to reports in the local media, the severe punishment was administered for the first time ever in an effort to safeguard the critically endangered blind dolphins, one of only four freshwater dolphin species still extant.
As soon as a video of Mirani wielding an axe to kill the threatened aquatic species became popular on social media, authorities acted.
The trial began when Wildlife filed a complaint against Mirani, and sources stated that Punjab Forensic Science Agency examined his viral video for its veracity.
Freshwater dolphins are a rare species that can only be found in the Indus region of Pakistan and India. Several organisations have been working to raise awareness of them while also engaging local communities in conservation efforts.
Blind dolphins are one of the rarest species in the world, found only in the Indus and India’s Ganges rivers.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had put the blind dolphins in the list of endangered species, after a rapid decline was reported in their numbers.
Environmentalists claim that the construction of dams, the release of chemicals and other pollutants into the river, the inadvertent entanglement of dolphins in fishing nets, the restriction of freshwater flow, and the production of meat and oil have all contributed to the decline in their population.
