I don’t remember what I searched up to find the baiji, which is a freshwater dolphin once found in China. It is the first dolphin species driven to extinction by human actions. Yet, it is still listed as ‘critically endangered, possibly extinct’ since sightings turn up from time to time. Surveys never seem to find the baiji, but some people say that there might still be a chance of a few survivors. In fact, the World Wildlife Federation pushes for their habitats to be preserved in case some remain in hiding.
The decline of the baiji started in the late 1950’s during China’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ where the importance of the animal was denounced. So, they were hunted, caught in fishing nets, hit by boats, killed by electric fishing, killed by pollution, and lost much of their habitat. The industrial revolution that happened in China did a lot of damage, but the baiji was hurt most by getting caught up in the increased fishing industry. Not enough was done to protect them in time, so the last confirmed baiji died in 2002.
Some baiji facts:
- The last suspected sighting was in May of 2024. Two baiji were supposed seen in the Yangtze River.
- Due to their poor eyesight, they depend primarily on their sonar to locate food and obstacles.
- Females are a little larger than the males.
- Its name means ‘white fin’.
- Females breed once every two years with the season being between February and April.
- The baiji is regarded as a symbol of peace and prosperity.
- A mythical origin says that a beautiful girl had an evil father who took her out on the river to sell her for money. Before he could do so, he saw how beautiful she was and tried to have his way with her. She dove into the river before a storm took out the boat and her father. Later, the locals saw a beautiful dolphin, which was the girl reborn in a new body.
There are pictures, so let’s take a look:
Legends of Windemere 
Hi Charles, the destruction by humans of the animal world is a great tragedy.
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To be fair, humans do it to themselves too.
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True.
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I remember when the Chinese thought sparrows ate crops during the Great Leap Forward. A billion were killed and the insect population grew and caused extreme famine across China. Tens of millions of people starved to death. Karma is a bitch.
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We’ve done that here with a bunch of species too. Humans never learn.
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You are right.
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There’s such a thing as ‘the balance of nature.’ Interfere with it at your (our) peril.
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Humans aren’t even part of nature any more. Our civilization exists outside and contrary to the rest of our environment. This is why I agree with Agent Smith of ‘The Matrix’ at times. Humans are closer to viruses.
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Such a tragedy.
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Definitely.
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When reading stories of creatures driven to extinction by humans, it makes me sad and angry in equal measure.
I may annoy some people here, but I think that the Judeo-Christian religions have a lot to do with it. God gave humans dominion over the animals, which has been interpreted as power over them, to do with as we like.
I think it means that we should take care of them and the environment.
Sorry for bringing religion into the discussion. 😞
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I disagree about religion being a part of it. At least Judaism has strict rules about what you can and can’t eat as well as care. I’ve never met anyone who uses religion to explain killing animals. I think it’s more a bulging population combined with the pollution of the Industrial Revolution. Some animals went extinct prior to that, but it boosted the rate.
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You are correct about the population. It’s a serious problem that no one wants to address.
My comment about religion is not so much that people would kill in the name of religion, but that the story of Genesis puts humans in a different group from other animals. We think (thought) of them as different and lesser, so we could treat them differently.
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Many have addressed it, but what can be done? Controlled breeding would result in mostly the elite having kids. Culling humans would be a nightmare. So there’s no clear answer.
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How devastatingly sad – clearly China is not into environmentalism.
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I think they’re trying now. Most nations that develop industrialization seem to go through a destroying then struggling to save the environment.
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We certainly did!
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What a sad story!
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I agree.
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Such a beautiful animal. Shame on China.
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I agree.
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