Bye Bye Baiji?

The baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, has the dubious distinction of being the world's most endangered mammal -- or so it's believed. During the Great Leap Forward, they made bags out of baiji skin, but the last survey was only able to find 17 of the creatures. In a last ditch effort to save the species, conservationists are now proposing to remove as many as can be found to an oxbow lake off the chaotic, polluted river channel in the hopes of establishing a safe refuge for a breeding population of the ultra-rare dolphins.

The baiji were one of the species that late author Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) tried to catch a glimpse of in his 1997 BBC radio program and book, Last Chance to See, about some of the world's most exotic and endangered wildlife. I highly recommend the book, and also the blog it inspired, called Another Chance to See, which is where I originally spotted this news. It's hard to take any real solace from the story of the baiji, but it's heartening to learn that, thanks to the desperate efforts of conservationists, they've held on this long.