Dolphin census carried out in India

A census of gangetic river dolphins has been carried out in India by officials from the Uttar Pradesh forest department and the World Wildlife Fund.

When the results of the census are known, authorities in the country will come up with an action plan for the conservation of the dolphins.

Rupak De, of the Uttar Pradesh forest department, said: "This will be the biggest ever single census done for this species."

In addition to counting the number of dolphins along the 2,800km stretch of the river Ganga, the project aims to raise awareness among communities about the conservation of the animals.

One of the world's four freshwater dolphins, the gangetic river dolphin is found in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. Its presence is a sign of a healthy river ecosystem.

Sandeep Behera, associate director, river basins and biodiversity of WWF-India, said: "In 2005, WWF-India had counted 600 dolphins in the rivers of UP, the current count will give a different number."