Summary
- Speaking at the inauguration of the Indus Dolphin Rescue and Mobile Awareness Ambulance, launched by Zong in partnership with WWF-Pakistan, the minister said coordinated conservation efforts are essential to safeguard the country’s unique biodiversity.
- Malik also commended Zong and WWF-Pakistan for introducing the specialized rescue ambulance, calling it an innovative step to strengthen dolphin rescue, rehabilitation, ecological monitoring and public awareness.
- WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said the country’s Indus River dolphin population has recovered to around 2,000 animals, describing it as a major conservation success.
Islamabad: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik on Tuesday said protecting the endangered Indus River blind dolphin is a shared national responsibility, stressing that climate change is posing increasing threats to Pakistan’s rivers, freshwater ecosystems and wildlife.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Indus Dolphin Rescue and Mobile Awareness Ambulance, launched by Zong in partnership with WWF-Pakistan, the minister said coordinated conservation efforts are essential to safeguard the country’s unique biodiversity.
He described the Indus blind dolphin as a rare symbol of Pakistan’s natural and cultural heritage and praised the federal and provincial governments for sustained conservation initiatives that have helped protect the species.
Dr. Malik also commended Zong and WWF-Pakistan for introducing the specialized rescue ambulance, calling it an innovative step to strengthen dolphin rescue, rehabilitation, ecological monitoring and public awareness.
WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said the country’s Indus River dolphin population has recovered to around 2,000 animals, describing it as a major conservation success. Since 1992, WWF-Pakistan and provincial wildlife departments have rescued and released more than 200 stranded dolphins, he added.
The new mobile unit will operate between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages in Sindh, improving emergency rescue operations, supporting ecological monitoring, engaging over 1,500 riverine community members, and conducting awareness sessions to help conserve one of the world’s rarest freshwater dolphin species.
