Extinction of river dolphin: What does it mean for the Yangtze River?

（People's Daily Online）  07:41, January 15, 2013

Edited and translated by Zhang Leqi, People's Daily Online.

A recent research shows that there are less than 1,000 river dolphins in the Yangtze River, even less than our national treasure – panda. The extinction of river dolphin indicates the deteriorating environment and ecology of the Yangtze River. The disappearance of creatures in the river denotes the end of the river itself. The research aiming to find out the reasons of the decreasing population of river dolphins points out that lack of food, shipping and contamination are the three major factors that lead to the extinction. We are confronted with stark reality: how can we protect the river dolphin and the ecology in the Yangtze River? Or how can we prevent the disappearing of culture.