(Originally posted on January 12, 2025.)

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: