Guwahati, the Assam state capital has become the first city in the country to have its own City Animal with the Kamrup Metropolitan district administration declaring the Gangetic River Dolphin as the mascot. The district administration had organised online and off-line voting among three protected creatures, which are on the verge of extinction, to decide the mascot.

Along with Gangetic River Dolphin, the other two animals were Black Softshell Turtle (Bor Kaso) and Greater Adjutant Stork (Hargila). While less than 2,000 Gangetic River Dolphins remain in the Brahmaputra along Guwahati, a recent survey said only a small population of Black Softshell Turtle were found in the river and its tributaries. The number of Greater Adjutant Stork is less than 1,200 in and around the state capital.

Reports said that 76 schools and colleges across Guwahati participated in the off-line voting. Less than 2,000 Gangetic River Dolphins are said to be remaining in the Brahmaputra along Guwahati.

Did You Know?

• The Ganges River dolphin or Susu, lives in one of the most densely populated regions of the world. One of the main threats to the species is loss of habitat due in large part to the creation of dams and irrigation projects.
• This dolphin is among the four “obligate” freshwater dolphins – the other three are the baiji now likely extinct from the Yangtze river in China, the bhulan of the Indus in Pakistan and the boto of the Amazon River in Latin America.
• Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the ‘Susu’.