The Yangtze River is in danger 2000.08.15

The International Union for Nature has compiled a  report that freshwater dolphins in the Asian region are in danger of extinction. The Yangtze River dolphin (or white dolphin,  Chinese white dolphin) is a species of dolphin found in the Yangtze River (Yangtze) and its tributaries  in China.This dolphin is a rare freshwater dolphin, adapted to a freshwater environment rather than saltwater. Adult Yangtze River dolphins generally reach a  length of about two to three meters. Their weight  can  range from a few hundred kilograms to  over a ton.

In particular, the population of the common dolphin, which lives in the Yangtze River in China and is  considered the model for Sandy of Journey to the  West, is estimated to have dwindled to a few dozen individuals.According to the International Union for  Conservation of Nature (IUCN), factors such as entanglement in fishing nets and being caught in ship's screws, water pollution, and declining numbers of  fish for food have contributed to the decline  in the population. In 2006, the Chinese government designated the  Yangtze River dolphin as a National First Class Key  Protected Animal under the Wildlife Protection Law, but even so, its population is rapidly declining. Past reports indicate that as of 2017, the Yangtze  River dolphin population is very small and likely on the verge of extinction.