Alas - 20 million year old species is no more

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

From CNN

China's white dolphin called extinct after 20 million years

BEIJING, China (AP) -- An expedition searching for a rare Yangtze River dolphin ended Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.

The white dolphin known as baiji, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years. Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the Caribbean monk seal, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction.

A few baiji may still exist in their native Yangtze habitat in eastern China but not in sufficient numbers to breed and ward off extinction, said August Pfluger, the Swiss co-leader of the joint Chinese-foreign expedition.

"We have to accept the fact, that the Baiji is functionally extinct. We lost the race," Pfluger said in a statement released by the expedition. "It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world. We are all incredibly sad."

[Sibling Chatty]

China HAD to have those dams, you know, to produce power for their people. Can't exist in a wold economy without a gazillion electric gadgets that all need power...

You dam a river, you ruin the natural flow, breaking up the eddy/sandbar/protected slow backwaters where they flourished. There are two dams that are in their 'best habitat', the second one probably finished the job that the first exacerbated.

Humankind should be extremely ashamed of itself for many reasons. This is just one.

(Yet another reason that I don't buy into the bullshit about religion causing all the destructive things and all the shame that affects people. Religion had nothing to do with the death of these creatures, but "progress" and "science" sure as hell did... Sorry, a little pissed off at the moment after being told that without religion humans would not need shame or regret or any 'negative emotion'. Yeah? So we could be total greedpigs, untempered by even the thought of control or moderation? Arrgh, Some people aren't smart enough to share oxygen with...)

Uhh, different rant, sorry.

[Swatopluk]

I think the Baiji is more the victim of the motor-shipping on the Yangtse (As Douglas Adams put it (paraphrased): To be a Baiji is like living day and night in a disco. Your senses bombarded without interruption disturbing your natural orientation and every now and then someone comes and pours a bucket of sewage over your head. You would complain and call the management but how to do that, if you are a dolphin?)

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I think the Baiji is more the victim of the motor-shipping on the Yangtse (As Douglas Adams put it (paraphrased): To be a Baiji is like living day and night in a disco. Your senses bombarded without interruption disturbing your natural orientation and every now and then someone comes and pours a bucket of sewage over your head. You would complain and call the management but how to do that, if you are a dolphin?)

Very likely.  Add to that, pollution, which infests the local fish, which the dolphin then eats ...

I don't think we'll ever know the total reason, and that's sad, too.

My unlimited optimism, hopes that somewhere, someone has a vial of DNA from this beautiful beast.

And, if humans EVER develop a mature civilization ... maybe we can bring them back.