“BAIJI” Artwork

“Hi everyone! I am ᗷᗩIᒍI white dolphin. It’ too late to save me, but it’s not too late to save others..” Baiji was declared functionally extinct in 2006, primarily due to human activities ( the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans ). The primary threats to the species were bycatch habitat, degradation,shipping traffic, hydroelectricity, and fishing pressures bit not too long ago,they were also hunted for their skin in order to make gloves and bags. Not too long ago, in the 1950’s there was an estimated 5,000 Baiji living in the Yangtze River, 300 in the mid-1980’s, and then only 13 individuals were sighted curing surveys in the late 1990’s. In 2006 researchers conducted an intensive 6-weeks survey, covering the entire historical geographic range but unfortunately, the team failed to find any evidence of the species survival and therefore declared it functionally extinct. What is heartbreaking about this loss is that the Baiji is the only member of the mammal family called Lipotidae. This is because the Baiji has unique features which are not shared with any other whale or dolphins ☹︎