Global News - October 2007
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Animals and birds return to Indian river
Thu 18 October 2007 17:00 UK — Asia,birds,marine wildlife
An environmental expert has said that populations of rare animals and birds which live near the Ganges river in India have recovered remarkably in the last few years.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times newspaper, Dr Ravindra Kumar Sinha of Patna University said that rare bird populations in the region have increased recently despite continued pollution and habitat loss.
Dr Sinha told the paper: "These are positive signs for the Ganges. Not many birds were spotted about a decade ago in the river, but in the last two or three years groups of these birds have been sighted in the plains of the Ganges."
In addition, Dr Sinha pointed out that anecdotal evidence suggests that the rare Gangetic dolphins of the region have staged a remarkable recovery.
"Until 1996, no dolphin was sighted before Bijnore barrage. Then, fishermen were provided [with] an alternative for dolphin oil and the situation improved downstream in the Ganges," he told the paper.
In conclusion, the report noted that the Indian government is planning to carry out a full scientific study of the region to determine if animal numbers have indeed recovered.
However, another Indian environmental expert recently warned that it would take "a miracle" for the country's tiger population to avoid extinction.
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