Today is National Dolphin Day which is celebrated every year to create awareness about conservation of the national aquatic animal, which inhabits the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

From demands of wild life experts, animal lovers and environment expert the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has accorded the 5th October as National Dolphin Day in 2022.

Bihar has taken pivotal role for conservation of its Gangetic river Dolphins and on the demand of the state government the Centre had declared the Gangetic Dolphin as National Aquatic Animal in 2010.  

In Bihar the main presence of the Gangetic Dolphins lies in Ganga, Gandak, Kosi and Mahananda river systems.

Former Professor of Zoology in Patna University Dr. R K Sinha which got sobriquet of Dolphin Man of India has done several research on the Gangetic Dolphins, which also called Sauns in Bihar.

According to Dr. Sinha as the Tiger represents the health of the forest, just as the Snow Leopard represents the health of the mountainous regions, and the Cheetah, the health of grasslands, the presence of the Dolphin in a river system signals its good health and biodiversity.  

Dolphins act as ideal ecological indicators of a healthy aquatic ecosystem and conservation of the dolphins will, therefore, benefit the survival of the species and also, the people dependent on the aquatic system for their livelihood like fishing.

It is estimated that their total population is around 2,000, and they are recognized as ‘highly endangered’ in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).  

The Zoological Survey of India is organising several programmes on the Day.