File photo of a Yangtze finless porpoise seen in waters in Nanjing. [VCG]
A month-long campaign to enhance the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise was launched in Gulou District of Nanjing City on October 29.
Many activities will be held during the campaign from October 28 to November 28, such as releasing aquatic organisms into the Yangtze River for stock enhancement purpose, hosting a meeting among experts and scholars in the field of conservation of the river, and organizing six themed programs to raise people’s awareness of protecting the river and ecological system.
Wang Ding, a researcher with the CAS Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology, said great strides have been made in the Nanjing section of the Yangtze finless porpoise protection zone, with the number of the porpoise species rising to around 50.
The critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise is known for its mischievous smile and has a level of intelligence comparable to that of a gorilla. As it spends most of the time underwater, Nanjing is attempting to establish an underwater acoustic monitoring system with devices installed in the river. The aim is to have a better understanding about the behaviors of Yangtze finless porpoise under water and provide support for further protection initiatives.
Sun Lifeng, deputy director of the Nanjing Yangtze Finless Porpoise Conservation Area, said the area has six points for monitoring by researchers and monitoring equipment were also installed in areas where the species are found to be active. Nanjing also plans to build an emergency response base to look after the species on Xinjizhou, an island in the river, so a Yangtze finless porpoise can receive timely care whenever it’s found injured.
