If tourists can spend money to get a glimpse of dolphins at sea, why not here Sanjeev Tiwari divisional forest officer, Ferozepur

Ferozepur : After three years, the wildlife officials have again spotted four river dolphins at the Harike wildlife sanctuary in Ferozepur district. In December 2007, two dolphins were sighted, much to the delight of nature lovers and scientists. Now, four dolphins, including a male, have been spotted near Karmuwala village under the Harike wetland, which is about 80 km wide at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers, said Ferozepur divisional forest officer, wildlife, Sanjeev Tiwari. The DFO said these dolphins are quite mature in age and have made this particular water region ­ Karmuwala village -as their `territory' for the last few days. Meanwhile, the sighting of four dolphins at Harike has shepherded major interest among nature lovers, who feel that more research should be conducted so that a conducive atmosphere can be created for dolphins to breed at Harike. In December 2007, the scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, were contacted for an expert opinion over the sighting of the endangered riverwater dolphins at Harike. For the safety and habitat improvement of dolphins, watch and water movements of the guards had been intensified, said the DFO.

Tiwari said they have also envisaged a Rs 5-crore ecotourism plan and have sent it to the state government to develop the sanctuary as a major tourist spot. “If tourists can spend money to have a glimpse of dolphins in the sea then why it cannot be done in the region,“ reasoned Tiwari. A team of World Wildlife Fund had also visited Harike a few days ago while the union government had issued a special grant to the state wildlife department for the conservation of dolphins, reports said. In India, most of the cetacean (marine mammals) species are marine, some live in estuaries and tidal creeks. The freshwater species is represented by the Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and the Indus Dolphin (Platanista minor), reports added. The Indus Dolphin, which inhabits the Indus and its tributaries, is rarer to spot. Worldwide, river dolphins are only found in five rivers, including the Ganges and Indus. The freshwater dolphins number about 1,000. These are said to be rare creatures, which are found in the Indus river basin in Pakistan. The origin of these dolphins is linked to the Tethys Sea that existed between Indian subcontinent and Asia over 50 million years ago. When the sea dried up, these creatures took refuge mainly in the Indus river basin.