Yesterday, there was a news that shocked all those who love animals. Recently, the Yangtze River Fishery Supervision and Management Office of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice requesting the selection of 14 Yangtze finless porpoises from Anhui Province and Hubei Province related protected areas and transported them to two aquariums in Guangdong Province and Shanghai.

This incident has sparked heated discussions among many wildlife protectors and netizens. The following are some of the views of netizens:

-         The too noisy environment such as the aquarium is not suitable for the habitat of the endangered species finless porpoise, and the commercial behavior runs counter to the purpose of protections.

-         Can the relevant enterprises guarantee the survival rate of the finless porpoise in the aquarium? Science and research institutions have not been able to overcome the artificial breeding technology of finless porpoise for many years, and the reproductive success rate is not ideal!

-         The finless porpoise can be bred very well in the Yangtze River. It is only necessary to protect the ecological environment of the habitat. Why bother!

-         The finless porpoises in Hubei have been well-removed and protected. Why do they have to be artificially captures and transferred to a closed aquarium for breeding? The root cause of the survival of the finless porpoise is not the breeding problem!

-         The state should consider prohibiting any commercial performances related with national first and secondary level of protected animals. For scientific popularization or viewing, it can be achieved by VR or AR technology to avoid capturing and injuring wild animals.

-         The protection effect of the Yangtze River has begun to show, and the downward trend of the number of finless porpoises has just been controlled. At this time, we should increase the protection of the finless porpoise, but why should we do the opposite? Is it necessary to repeat the tragedy of the Baiji dolphin?

-         The “Smile Elf” Yangtze finless porpoise is a freshwater aquatic mammal that is only distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Since the beginning of the last century, the high-density shipping operations of the Yangtze River, the indiscriminate fishing, the extensive use of illegal fishing gear, water pollution, and the construction of water conservancy facilities have also caused them to face the same threats as the Baiji dolphin, and the number of wild species has fallen sharply. The Yangtze finless porpoise is listed as critically endangered by IUCN’s Red List; it is listed as endangered species in CITES Appendix I. On July 24, 2018, the latest scientific investigation on the finless porpoise released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the current number of Yangtze finless porpoises is only about 1012!

The Yangtze finless porpoise is the flagship species of the Yangtze River ecosystem and is closely related to the health of the ecological environment. By protecting the Yangtze River finless porpoise, it will promote the restoration of the Yangtze River ecosystem and protect the Yangtze River biodiversity. Regardless of the protection measures taken, local protection or relocation to other locations, it is hoped that scientific and reasonable measures will be taken to delay the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise and retain the smile of the Yangtze finless porpoise!

(Photo source: Internet)

(Photo: WWF)

Original Chinese news article link:

https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2324329?from=timeline&isappinstalled=0