Budhabalang river ideal habitat for fresh water Dolphin-study

Baripada, Aug 26 (UNI) The Budhabalanga river that originates from the Simlipal Hills Range, and meets at the Bay of Bengal at Chandipore-on-sea will possibly become an ideal habitat for the freshwater dolphin.

A research study and monitoring of the behaviour of a Ganga river dolphin has revealed such a possibility, wildlife experts said.

A freshwater dolphin was shifted from the shallow Choprakhal gorge of Budhabalanga river and relocated in a bigger gorge at Panchaputuli in the same river in January last by Dr Sandeep Behera, a WWF-India expert in Ganga river dolphin.

The Dolphin was captured and later released into the river with the help of Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) Director Debabrata Swain and other Orissa forest department officials.

Since then the dolphin's movement was being closely monitored by the STR and forest department officials, sources said. The dolphins belong to the predatory category and are at the apex of the aquatic food chain, experts said.

The Dolphin, the experts pointed out, would chose to stay at a place where there would be abundant fishes and the habitat is undisturbed by fishing activities as well as the industrial pollution. The Budhabalanga river satisfied both these conditions, they remarked.

The adult male dolphin measuring 157 cm in length, with maximum girth of 82 cm at its dorsal fin and 120 kgs in weight relocated at the Panchaputuli gorge in the downstream of Budhabalanga on January 8 this year started moving upstream in search of alternative gorge conducive for a comfortable stay of the animal during heavy monsoon showers.

The animal could swim nearly 40-50 kilometers a day, and hence there was no problem for the animal to shift from one gorge to another in a riparian habitat. During its movement along the upstream, the dolphin was sighted at different places located in close proximity of the town.

On last Thursday, the Dolphin was sighted at Anuapal Ghat near Budharaula Mutt on the outskirt of Baripada town, STR Field Director Swain said. The Dolphin's presence in Budhabalanga indicated that there is healthy life under water and in future more dolphins might migrate to this undisturbed habitat, Mr Swain said.

While migrating from river Hooghly this Ganga river dolphin avoided entering into Subarnarekha, which was more disturbed by industrial pollution and fishing although it fell enroute its journey from Hooghly to Budhabalanga.

Meanwhile, WWF expert on Ganges dolphins, Sandeep Behera had visited the catchments areas of East Coast Canal to find out the possibilities of migration of the Dolphin from river Hooghly to Budhabalanga via the canal route.

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