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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Zoologist Calls for Military Help to Save White-flag Dolphins

Chinese lawmaker Zhu Zuoyan has called for assistance from the military to catch several white- flag dolphins from the Yangtze River to save the endangered species from extinction.


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Chinese lawmaker Zhu Zuoyan has called for assistance from the military to catch several white- flag dolphins from the Yangtze River to save the endangered species from extinction.

Zhu, a zoologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said to catch the rare animal scientists need the help of the Navy and the Air Force of the country's armed forces, including naval vessel and helicopter.

He said the white-flag dolphin is even more precious than the giant panda in terms of number, and urgent efforts are needed to protect it from getting extinct before it is too late.

He believed there are less than 100 of the animals living in the Yangtze River, compared with 1,000 giant pandas in the wild in China. Both of the animals are native to China.

The white-flage dolphin, one of the four fresh water dolphins on the Earth and peculiar to China, is regarded as a living fossil.

Pollution of the Yangtze River and intrusion of ships into their living environment are blamed for the dwindling number of the animals.



China to Build Yangtze River Dolphin Reserve
A plan to build a nature reserve for freshwater dolphins, including one of the rarest dolphins in the world, has passed technical evaluation.

According to the plan, put forward by the Zhenjiang municipal government and Jiangsu Provincial Marine and Fisheries Administration, the reserve will be located in the Zhenjiang section of the Yangtze River, the world's third-longest. (In Detail)





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