Dolphins stranded in Sharda canal in UP rescued after 24-hour operation

LAKHIMPURKHERI: After about a 24-hour long rescue operation, the South Kheri forest officials, WWF-India, WTI and Turtle Services Alliance (TSA) and irrigation department successfully rescued a group of nearly a dozen dolphins, including their calves, back to the Ghaghara river, officials on Sunday said.

The operation was completed late Saturday evening, they said.

Gangetic dolphins, which are found in the Ghaghara river, were stranded in the Sharda canal about 4 km south from the Sharda barrage on Thursday.

Gangetic dolphins have been categorized as schedule 1 aquatic animal in the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, and find place under protected wildlife species.

Division Forest Officer (DFO), South Kheri Forest Division, Sanjay Biswal, camped at the spot along with WWF project director Dabir Hasan, WII expert Vipul Maurya, WTI expert Shruti Singh and TSA scientist Dr Shailendra Singh till all the dolphins were successfully rescued back to the Ghaghara river.

''On Friday, reports were received that a group of about ten Gangetic dolphins had been sighted stranded in the shallow waters of Sharda canal and they were unable to swim to safety owing to inadequate water level,'' Biswal told PTI.

''Among these, four to five dolphins were stranded in 2.5 to 3 feet deep waters in the canal and their situation was reported critical owing to the presence of their calves with them and heat temperature soaring high,'' he added.

Biswal said that under the pre-monsoon maintenance work at the Sharda barrage, the Sharda flow was regulated and the gates were opened due to which Sharda waters flowed away and the Sharda canal originating from it had a dry bed.

The irrigation department was requested to release waters into the canal till the dolphins were rescued, he added.

Biswal said the irrigation department released water into the canal on Saturday evening following which the stranded dolphins were provided passage back to the Ghaghara river.

''We ensured that all the dolphins in the canal safely swam back to safety into the Ghaghara river,'' he added. Dr Shailendra Singh from Turtle Services Alliance (TSA), who has an expertise in rescuing turtles and dolphins in India, said ''our primary focus was to facilitate the dolphins swim back to Ghaghara by increasing the water levels''.

''The second task of shifting the dolphins to safe place by capturing them was not only challenging but also very risky as their number was high,'' he told PTI.

''One or two dolphins are easy to be captured and re-located to safety but here there were at least 10 dolphins with calves, hence, ensuring water supply into the canal was the best possible option,'' he added.