Fishermen in Baleswar district were on Thursday surprised as a rare dolphin was caught in their net in the Jalaka river during their regular fishing activities.
The aquatic mammal weighing around 25 kilograms got tangled in gillnet in the river near Nalabahar village under Basta block. The fishermen carried the dolphin on their shoulders to their village and released it into the village pond instead of the river.
On being informed, Forest Department officials reached the village and rescued the dolphi from the pond and planned to release it into the sea after treatment.
The locals said this was the first sighting of the endangered species in the Jalaka river. They expressed their surprise how the aquatic animal made its way into the river from the Bay of Bengal.
Large numbers of dolphins get killed as they get entwined in gillnets.
“The dolphin is threatened by illegal fishing activities on the Odisha coast. This species has a low reproductive rate. There must be sincere efforts to protect this species,” said environmentalist Susanta Kumar Dalai.