India’s first National Dolphin Research Centre finally a reality

India’s first centre for research on conserving the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), has finally become a reality. The institute, located close to Ganga river in Patna, was inaugurated on March 4, 2024 by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Bihar Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden PK Gupta told this reporter that the NDRC is now operational and aims to assist scientists and researchers in studying Gangetic dolphins comprehensively.

“The research will delve into various aspects such as changing behaviour, survival skills, food habits, causes of death, and more. The objective is to establish the NDRC as a centre of excellence,” he said. 

Gupta added the centre will also provide training to fishermen on how to conserve and protect dolphins during fishing. 

The NDRC, spanning a 4,400 square metre plot on the premises of Patna University near the Ganga, offers a strategic location for researchers to closely observe dolphins in their natural habitat.

Read more: Work on India’s first dolphin research centre to start in Patna post-monsoon

The project had received approval in 2013. A senior official of the department told this reporter that the NDRC was to be established two years ago but faced several delays. CM Kumar had laid the foundation stone of the centre in 2020 and the funds for the centre were sanctioned. 

The construction work began after the state urban development department cleared the building located at about 200 metres from the Ganga. The state forest, environment and climate change department had sought approval as any construction within 200 metres of the river is restricted.

Renowned expert on the Gangetic river dolphin, RK Sinha, had proposed the idea a decade ago. Montek Singh Ahulwalia, then-deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, had approved the proposal during his visits in mid-2011 and early 2012, after he was impressed by the sight of dolphins along the 22 kilometre stretch of the Ganga.

However, Sinha had also expressed concerns over the delays in setting up the centre. 

Gopal Sharma, a senior scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, hailed the establishment of the NDRC to study the freshwater mammal in Ganga river at the inauguration. “It will strengthen ongoing dolphin conservation as well,” he said.

Earlier, Bihar accounted for 50 per cent of the world’s river dolphin population. But the habitat is under threat now, said Sinha. 

Read more: India’s first dolphin observatory coming up in Bihar

The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal. It is a Schedule I animal under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It has been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China (now extinct), the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.

The dolphin is found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is blind and finds its way and prey in river waters through echolocation. Bihar is home to around half of the estimated 3,000 Gangetic dolphins in India.

Dolphins prefer water that is at least five to eight feet deep. They are usually found in turbulent waters, where there are enough fish for them to feed on.

Gangetic dolphins live in a zone where there is little or no current, helping them save energy. If they sense danger, they can dive into deep waters. The dolphins swim from the no-current zone to the edges to hunt for fish and return, according to Sharma.

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