Less than a month after the Baiji (Yangtze River dolphin) was declared “technically” extinct, a new sighting promises hope for one of the worlds most endangered species.
On the 19th August, a local man spotted a white object swimming in the river and decided to filmed it. Unfortunately the quality of the film is poor as the object filmed was a good 1000 meters away. But it is tantalising evidence, and has been suggested it could very well be a Baiji.
As a result, a new expedition could very well be planned by the baiji.org foundation in 2008 to re-search the river for evidence of its existence.
Source and related links:
baiji.org Foundation.
‘Extinct’ dolphin caught on camera (Video from Reuters).
Rare dolphin ‘sighted’ in China (BBC).
I wouldn’t be a very active enviromentalist, but I hope it is a Baiji. I find it quite dooming for the human race if we can eradicate an entire species that display such intelligence and self awareness.