14 DAY TRIAL // Not long ago, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, for short) has released a series of updates for its Red List. According to these updates, there are so few finless porpoises left to inhabit the Yangtze River that the species must be classified as critically endangered.
The Yangtze finless porpoise population has been steadily declining over the past few years, and conservationists say humans are the ones to blame.
Mongabay explains that pollution, boat traffic, illegal fishing activities, the construction of dams and habitat loss are the main threats the species is currently facing.
Commenting on the IUCN's decision to list the Yangtze finless porpoise as a critically endangered species, the current Director of Conservation Programs at the Zoological Society of London, Jonathan Baillie, said that:
“If we now lose the Yangtze Finless Porpoise, future generations will undoubtedly wonder if we were ignorant, incompetent or both.”
One can only hope that authorities will soon agree to implement measures intended to safeguard this species.