Sunday, September 9, 2007

HSBC Program To Help Rare Dolphin In Yangtze River

WWF says the reported sighting of a Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, means there is still a chance to protect cetaceans in the Yangtze from extinction through a program established with HSBC.

The Chinese media reported that a local businessman in Tongling City in Anhui Province filmed "a big white animal" with his digital camera on August 19. The footage was later confirmed to be a baiji by Professor Wang Ding, a leading scientist in baiji study at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

It is the first baiji reportedly found in the Yangtze since a scientific expedition last year, during which no single baiji was spotted.

"The finding of baiji proved our thoughts and presents a last hope to save the species with strengthened measures," said Dr. Zhu Jiang, senior programme officer at WWF-China's Wuhan Office. "The protection strategies and action plan will be implemented under the WWF-HSBC programme to conserve the baiji and the Yangtze together with related stakeholders."

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