KARACHI: The population of Pakistan’s Indus river dolphin, nicknamed the ‘Indus Queen,’ has increased by at least 500 in seven years, a survey by Sindh’s wildlife department revealed last week.

The survey covered an area of roughly 200 km designated as the Indus Dolphin Reserve which extends from Guddu Barrage to Sukkur Barrage on the Indus River in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh.

“The survey team has counted 1,419 dolphins in 34 dolphin schools (areas where dolphins live in groups) during the survey of 194 km stretch from Guddu to Sukkur barrage upstream,” said provincial wildlife conservator Javed Mahar.

With the entire survey completed on sailing boats, the procedure is what Mahar describes as “authentic.” The dolphin comes to the surface of the water for oxygen every 60-80 seconds and is counted as soon as it surfaces.

“Four persons look in four directions while one keeps recording the sighting, he said and added that the method could only understate dolphin figures, but never overstate them. 

“The 1,419 figure includes baby, juvenile and adult dolphins,” he said.

Experts say that a number of things could have contributed to this 54% increase in the river dolphin population, especially when river traffic, pollution and entanglement in fishing nets is threatening their species in the shallow waters of the Ganges, Yangtze and Amazon rivers. 

Due to the area designated as a reserve, there is no industrial affluent seeping into the river water between the two barrages, no dolphin trapping and an absence of motorised boats which means the natural habitat of these mammals is left undisturbed.

During the survey, otters, referred to locally as ‘river dogs’ were also recorded for the first time since 1974. 

According to Mahar, over 80 people took part in the survey over four days, with nights spent in the forest and the entire exercise costing the wildlife department less than Rs. 1 million, or approximately $7000. For the first time, two women zoologists from Sindh and Khairpur universities were also on the usually all-male survey team.

Komal Arif Hingoro, one of the women zoologists on the survey team and an MPhil scholar from Sindh University said she was worried when they first started out due to their route taking them through areas notorious for gangs and criminals, but her concerns soon abated. 

“We would commence at dawn and stop at dusk, we spent our nights on the riverside and forest and we proved that women can perform any task that men can,” she said.

“It was a great experience.” 

Dr. Zaib-un-Nisa Memon, a professor of Zoology at Khairpur University who was also part of the team, said she felt no fear going to these areas to carry out their work.

“Normally people avoid going there even in day-time. We spent four nights, but there was no fear as we were focused and enjoying our work,” she told Arab News. “We had no comforts, no electricity but we enjoyed the expedition.”

Dr Memon said their team also educated the local population, who wrongly consider dolphins a dangerous mammal. 

“We told local people that dolphins are good for the environment, so when they find them stuck in the mud, to rescue them and push them into deep waters.”