ANGEL OF THE BEAS

Conservation reserves, citizen science, and habitat protection give the Indus River dolphin a fighting chance in India

- GITANJALI KANWAR AND BASANTA RAJKUMAR

Members of riparian communities along the Beas river in Punjab often recount an interesting aspect about the Indus river dolphin, locally known as the bhulan (the one with long lips, in this case elongated snout).

The dolphins were frequently observed surfacing in deeper or more dynamic stretches of the river, and these sightings were interpreted as the animals guiding people through potentially hazardous waters.

The dolphin, one of the world's most endangered freshwater cetaceans (aquatic mammals which include whales, dolphins and porpoises) and a flagship species of the Indus river system, is thus culturally viewed as a "guardian of the river". It is believed to keep the waters of the Beas "alive" and "breathing." Over generations, local knowledge systems have described the dolphin as an intelligent and benign species, reinforcing the belief that harming it would disturb the balance of the river ecosystem.

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