Extinct Chinese dolphin spotted

The Chinese dolphin, native to Chinas Yangtze river, which was declared extinct last December has reportedly been spotted by a man in Chinas Anhui Province.

London, Aug 30 : The Chinese dolphin, native to China's Yangtze river, which was declared extinct last December has reportedly been spotted by a man in China's Anhui Province.

Wang Ding, a researcher with the Institute of Hydrobiology, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, claimed that a man had seen and shot a video of what appeared to be a 'baiji' or a white flag dolphin in Anhui's Tongling city on August 19.

Ding, however, was not cent percent sure about the accuracy of the video footage since it was shot from a distance of about 1,000 metres, and was not very clear. team of scientists will go to the area in September to look for the dolphin.

"We don't have good hope for the future of the 'baiji'," the Daily Mail quoted Wang, as saying. "It will be gone for sure pretty soon," he added.

The 'baiji' dates back 20 million years, and the Chinese refer to it as the "Goddess of the Yangtze."

Around 400 'baiji' were believed to be living in the Yangtze in the early 1980s, when China was just launching free-market reforms, which have transformed its economy.

The last full-fledged search, in 1997, yielded 13 confirmed sightings. A fisherman claimed to have seen a 'baiji' in 2004.

ANI