Vaquita – Last Chance for the Desert Porpoise

It came as a shock to the world in late 2006 when the baiji, an almost blind river dolphin found only in the Yangtze River in China, was declared functionally extinct. The first evidence in modern history that our efforts to balance human affairs with the habitats of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) had failed miserably.

The 20 million year old baiji no longer shares our planet and all that remains of this remarkable animal are lessons.

Several members of the team working to save the vaquita, including Bob Pitman and Barb Taylor of NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla California, participated in the last search for the freshwater baiji. The expedition lasted six weeks and two boats found no sign of the animal. This was the first cetacean species documented as being driven to extinction by humans – primarily through entanglements in fishing nets. So shaken by the loss of this 20 million year old species, the team refuses to let the vaquita join the baiji. Fortunately for the vaquita there is still time, but solutions must be implemented now, as the primary threat that caused the baiji’s extinction – entanglement in fishing gear, is what threatens the vaquita.

http://www.vimeo.com/12353598