Asia's endangered species

Dolphins
Closely related to Whales, the Dolphin group also includes Porpoises and the misleadingly named Killer Whale & Pilot Whale. They are highly intelligent and very social animals.

Of all the Dolphin family, it is River Dolphins that are most under threat. River Dolphins are less well known and much rarer than their marine counterparts. 

Globally, there are 7 species, 3 of which are found in Asia: The Irrawaddy Dolphin, The Finless Porpoise and the Yangtze River Dolphin, or Baiji.

The Irrawaddy Dolphin is unique as it can be found in both fresh and saltwater. Tiny freshwater populations exist in 4 rivers in Asia, plus in a lake in Thailand. They are listed as Critically Endangered. The plight of the Baiji is even more perilous. Only found in the Yangtze River in China, no more than one hundred are thought to remain and they are already on the verge of extinction. Finless Porpoises are the only freshwater Porpoise. They can be found near coastal waters around the region and in the Yangtze in China. They are classified as

Endangered, with less than 1500 alive today.
The main threats are through fishing, which accidentally catch and kill the Dolphins, and Habitat Degradation such as pollution.

Dugongs
Dugongs are closely related to Manatees and are distant relatives of Elephants. They are gentle herbivores, feeding solely on seagrasses. They have a complex social structure and are very caring parents, weaning their young for two entire years and sometimes cradling them, just like a human parent would.

Despite this gentle, caring nature, they are hunted by people for their meat, oil, skin, bones & teeth. They have even been hunted for their tears, which were thought to have medicinal properties. They can be found in certain areas across the Asia Pacific, close to shore and fields of seagrass. The largest populations are in Western Australia & Papua New Guinea, with smaller populations in Thailand, Malaysia & the Philippines.

Additional threats come from boat traffic, as they need to surface to breath every six minutes, pollution & habitat loss. As female Dugongs only give birth to a handful of young in the lives, they are a species that struggles to rebound from any loss of population. They are considered Vulnerable to Extinction throughout the region. 

Turtles
Turtles have survived on this planet since the days of the Dinosaurs, 100 million years ago. There are seven species of marine turtle in the world. One is found only in the Gulf of Mexico. All of the other six species can be found in the Asia-Pacific region. Once plentiful, five of these species are now listed as endangered, with the Hawksbill & Leatherback Turtles listed as Critically Endangered. The sixth species, the Flatback Turtle, cannot be listed because we do not know enough about it. While female turtles lay hundreds of eggs, even under natural conditions only a handful ever survive and they take decades to reach sexual maturity & reproduce. Now, many other threats continue to reduce their numbers alarmingly.

The main threats to marine turtles are: demand for their meat and beautiful shells, which continues despite laws to protect them; reduction of their habitats, especially the beaches they need to lay their eggs; irresponsible fishing practices that accidentally catch turtles - known as 'by-catch'; increasing boat traffic and pollution, such as plastic bags that they mistake for food and chemical pollution that affects their health.