Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Saving China's Finless Porpoise From the Brink of Extinction
BBC ^ | 8/22 | Stephen McDonell

Posted on 08/20/2025 9:14:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Chinese scientists are in a battle to save one of the last large animal species living in the Yangtze River – and a complete ban on fishing in the region is helping them.

At the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, just 5km (3.1 miles) from the banks of the river, the preserved bodies of the now-extinct river dolphin (baiji in Chinese) and paddle fish sit silently behind panes of glass.

"Now that those have become extinct, we're going to save the Yangtze river porpoise," Professor Wang Xi tells the BBC. "It has become the most important animal here."

It was in 2002 that the last known baiji died, 22 years after researchers at the Institute started caring for it. A year later, the last known paddle fish - a type of ray-finned fish which can grow to more than 3 metres - was accidentally caught by fishermen and, despite being radio tagged and released, disappeared.

The goal now is to stop the Yangtze finless river porpoise - 1,200 of which remain in the wild, according to current estimates – from suffering the same fate.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: china; dolphin; extinction

1 posted on 08/20/2025 9:14:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

After the Chinese ate them all.


2 posted on 08/20/2025 9:23:00 PM PDT by kaktuskid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

“Countries full of them now: people walking around all day long, every minute of the day, worried... about everything! Worried about the air; worried about the water; worried about the soil; worried about insecticides, pesticides, food additives, carcinogens; worried about radon gas; worried about asbestos; worried about saving endangered species. Let me tell you about endangered species all right? Saving endangered species is just one more arrogant attempt by humans to control nature. It’s arrogant meddling; it’s what got us in trouble in the first place. Doesn’t anybody understand that? Interfering with nature. Over 90% - over, WAY over – 90% of all the species that have ever lived on this planet, ever lived, are gone! Pwwt! They’re extinct! We didn’t kill them all, they just disappeared. That’s what nature does. They disappear these days at the rate of 25 a day and I mean regardless of our behaviour. Irrespective of how we act on this planet, 25 species that were here today will be gone tomorrow. Let them go gracefully. Leave nature alone.”

-George Carlin


3 posted on 08/20/2025 9:35:37 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Utter bs.

Propaganda for the west idiots. The 白左。The baizuo, the white left who believe anything.


4 posted on 08/20/2025 9:46:23 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kaktuskid

Ate and/or poisoned them all.


5 posted on 08/20/2025 9:53:51 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeMind

How about the sharks they kill just for the fins, totally disgusting.


6 posted on 08/20/2025 10:05:43 PM PDT by Cowgirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Cowgirl

Exactly.


7 posted on 08/20/2025 10:08:09 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

A cause for those who need a porpoise in life.


8 posted on 08/20/2025 10:08:32 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
They fished out their rivers and now are doing the same to the oceans.

Any Chinese fishing boat outside of their territorial waters should be sunk.

9 posted on 08/20/2025 10:12:07 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Not my circus. Not my monkeys. But I can pick out the clowns at 100 yards.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
At the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan...

Nothing to doubt here, folks - these guys are totally trustworthy and competent.

10 posted on 08/20/2025 10:48:07 PM PDT by MikelTackNailer (COVID-19 vaccines: "Better Dying through Chemistry!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kenny Bania; gundog; Larry Lucido

(How about the sharks they kill just for the fins...)

No soup 🍲🍲🍲 🍜🍜🍜 🥣🥣🥣 for you

(I have not tried it)


11 posted on 08/21/2025 12:34:21 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Agreed.


12 posted on 08/21/2025 3:33:08 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeMind

Sadly.


13 posted on 08/21/2025 3:33:19 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Finless porpoise contain no additives and are 100% natural. Excellent with water chestnuts.


14 posted on 08/21/2025 5:12:02 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: PIF

Finless porpoise contain no additives and are 100% natural. Excellent with water chestnuts.


“Mom, the tuna doesn’t taste as good as it used to.”


15 posted on 08/21/2025 5:53:36 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: kaktuskid

China has been “managiing” the Yangtze pretty radically and has destroyed or disturbed a lot of habitat.


16 posted on 08/21/2025 7:49:22 AM PDT by arthurus (| covfefe | -<0>-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson