Monday, December 18, 2006

Dear Humans,

You suck.
For 20 million years, the white-fin dolphin, or baiji, swam China's longest river, the Yangtze. But a few years of breakneck development, overfishing and a massive increase in shipping have reduced sightings of this shy, graceful creature to zero.

A recent expedition failed to spot a single Lipotes vexillifer, and now conservationists fear the almost-blind, long-beaked animal is gone for good, the first big aquatic mammal to become extinct due to human activity.
You can read about the baiji in Douglas Adam's excellent book Last Chance to See.

Take a look, as this is all anyone will ever get to see of a baiji again.

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