Thursday, June 18, 2009

Mekong river dolphin near extinct: WWF

Thursday, June 18, 2009

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Pollution in southeast Asia's Mekong River has pushed freshwater dolphins in Cambodia and Laos to the brink of extinction, an international conservation group said.

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) said only 64 to 76 Irrawaddy dolphins remain in the Mekong after toxic levels of pesticides, mercury and other pollutants were found in more than 50 calves who have died since 2003.

"These pollutants are widely distributed in the environment and so the source of this pollution may involve several countries through which the Mekong River flows," said WWF veterinary surgeon Verne Dove in a press statement.

The organisation said it was investigating how environmental contaminants got into the Mekong, which flows through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

The WWF added that Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia and Laos urgently needed a health programme to counter the effects of pollution on their immune systems.

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin, which inhabits a 190 kilometre (118 mile) stretch in Cambodia and Laos, has been listed as critically endangered since 2004, the WWF said.

4 comments:

khmer chef said...

These dolphins are good for suz shi!

Anonymous said...

Well, don't blame me for I am of course the son of a slut, adulteress, fornicatress, hussy, jade, and loose woman Viet...

PPU

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

The Khmer Rouge used to build aqueducts that would make water run uphill. Now the government is also declaring war on science. The World Wide Fund for Nature has published a scientific report.

Could someone translate Scientific method From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia into Khmer. It is badly needed. Unless of course this country wants to remain in the Middle Ages. Lack of science is killing this country.

http://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/Scientific_method