Indus River Dolphin Sindh, Pakistan.

The Indus river Dolphin or Indus blind Dolphin (Platanista minor) world’s rarest animal found in the freshwater of the Indus River near Sukkur town in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Dolphin locally known as “Bulhan” occurs only in the Indus river.

The estimated remaining population of Indus river Dolphins is about 1100 widely populate in the lowest parts of the Indus river between chashma and kotri barrages. Indus river dolphins are one of the four river Dolphin species and subspecies on the planet that spend the majority of their lives in freshwater. The main sense in dolphins is hearing, the only way to communicate by means of acoustic sense to navigate each other and hunt prey.

Indus river Dolphins is one of the world’s most extinction endangered species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species the population of Indus River Dolphin has fallen by more than 50 percent since 1944.Their ecosystem is in dire and the main threat to Indus river dolphins are fishing, depleting flows, habitat contamination due to industrial, agricultural and domestic activities. Dolphins get trapped in irrigation canals, some people kill them for meat, oil, fishing bait or even to prepare alternative traditional medicines. A new study reveals that due to industrial activities, the scales of dolphins are filled with DDT, PCBs and other Carcinogenic substances.

Scientific Name: Platanista minor

Status: Endangered in IUCN Red List

Population Approximately: 1100 Habitat: Indus River System in Pakistan

Length:  7 – 8.5 feet Weight: 150 – 200 pounds

Common Name: Indus River Dolphin / Indus Blind Dolphin

Local Name: Bhulan (Urdu, Sindhi) Lifespan Period: Upto 35 years