Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India. The sanctuary is a 60 km stretch of the Ganges River from Munger to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. Designated in 1991, it is protected area for the endangered Gangetic dolphins in Asia. Once found in abundance, only a few hundred remain, of which half are found here.

The Gangetic dolphins have been declared as the national aquatic animal of India.[1] This decision was taken in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday, 5 October 2009.[2][3]

Attraction

Major attractions are the Ganges river dolphins (known as Soons by Locals)[4] which are classified as endangered on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ,included in Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Appendix 2 of Convention of Migratory Species. The sanctuary also contains rich diversity of other threatened aquatic wildlife, including the Indian smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), a variety of freshwater turtles, and 135 species of waterfowl.[5]

Visiting

The best time to visit is October and June. Bhagalpur Junction railway station serves as the nearest railhead. Area between Sultanganj in west of Bhagalpur to Kahalgaon in east of Bhagalpur. Notably at Barari Ghat, where the Vikramshila Setu starts.

Gangetic dolphin At Vikramshila Setu

Threats
  • Multiple dams and barriers disrupting free movement of the dolphins.
  • Pollution by fertilisers, pesticides and industrial and domestic effluents, which are responsible for the death of many fish and are likely to have a negative effect on dolphin population.
  • Killing of the animals for their meat or oil (used as catfish bait), and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

Conservation

There are various conservation works going on the sanctuary area. Noted works are:

  • The Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre (VBREC), led by Dr. Sunil Chaudhary, together with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), the Environmental Biology Laboratory of Patna University , and T.M. Bhagalpur University, has initiated a project to improve the conservation value of Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.
  • Aaranyak, a registered conservation NGO working in North East India since 1989, has initiated a project entitled "Conservation of Gangetic dolphin in Brahmaputra river system, India" in collaboration with Dibrugarh University (Assam). The project aims to evaluate the conservation status of the Ganges river dolphin throughout the entire Brahmaputra river system by carrying out research into the species' population status, distribution, habitat preferences and threats.
  • WWF-India also had started the Dolphin Conservation Programme to conserve the habitat of the Ganges river dolphin and secure a future for the endangered species.

References
  1. Archived January 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "River dolphin crowned India's aquatic animal: Latest Headlines, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2009-10-06. Archived from the original on 2009-10-10. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  3. "Endangered dolphins made national aquatic animal - India Environment Portal | News, reports, documents, blogs, data, analysis on environment & development | India, South Asia". India Environment Portal. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  4. "WDCS Deutschland". Wdcs-de.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  5. "Cambridge Journals Online - Oryx - Abstract - Conservation and biomonitoring in the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar, India". Journals.cambridge.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-01-24.

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