The first finless porpoise cub in Nanjing section of the Yangtze River was found alone, and it died less than one day after being fished ashore.

On the afternoon of May 24, near the Yangtze River Yanziji Pier, citizens found a young finless porpoise stranded and immediately called the police. Weibo diagram

At 4: 30 pm on May 24th, a young finless porpoise ran aground near Yanziji Wharf in Nanjing section of the Yangtze River. Since then, the fishery administration and other departments have taken the cubs to the underwater world for temporary rescue at 8 pm after failing to find their mothers.

The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) learned from the Fishery Department of Nanjing Agriculture Committee that, unfortunately, the single finless porpoise calf died at about 10 am on the 25th.

According to the "Meeting Point" client of Xinhua Newspaper Group, at 4: 30 pm on the 24th, a citizen found a finless porpoise cub stranded near Yanziji Wharf, and then called the police. After the police of the Water Public Security Bureau and the personnel of the fishery administration department rushed to the scene, they temporarily transported the finless porpoise to the nearby fishery administration wharf in pots, waiting for experts to go to the scene. Since then, experts from Nanjing Underwater World have proposed to feed the finless porpoise cubs while looking for its mother.

After the police of the Water Public Security Bureau and the personnel of the fishery administration department rushed to the scene, they temporarily transported the finless porpoise to the nearby fishery administration wharf in pots. Weibo diagram

"We searched along the shore for three hours and couldn’t find it. At 8 o’clock in the evening, we transported the finless porpoise to the underwater world for temporary rescue. " Tang Zhebin, director of the Fishery Department of Nanjing Agriculture Committee, told The Paper that according to the visual inspection, this finless porpoise cub was only born for two or three days, which is very rare.

However, this finless porpoise cub died at about 10 am on the 25th, and failed to survive for one day after landing. According to reports, this is the first time that a live baby finless porpoise has been found in Nanjing section of the Yangtze River.

Why is it so difficult for finless porpoise cubs to survive after landing?

Jiang Meng, secretary-general of Nanjing finless porpoise protection association, participated in the treatment of finless porpoises after the cubs were sent to the underwater world on the evening of 24th. Jiang Meng said that as a mammal, cubs born just two or three days ago have almost no viability, and they need their mothers to bring them and feed them. It is almost impossible to survive without their mothers.

"So, the baby finless porpoise is stranded, and the first choice is to find its mother to take it away." Jiang Meng said that finless porpoises usually move in still waters, but according to the characteristics of fast-flowing water near Yanziji, relevant experts preliminarily judged that the discovered place was not the separated place of finless porpoise cubs and their mothers, and the cubs may have been washed to Yanziji by the current.

After the search for the cub’s mother failed, the cub was taken to Nanjing Underwater World for rescue and fed with special formula every hour.

The finless porpoise cubs were taken to Nanjing Underwater World for rescue and fed with special formula milk every hour. Weibo diagram

"In fact, the cubs will be brought ashore for rescue only as a last resort, because at present, domestic and even the whole world have failed to master the method of artificially breeding individual finless porpoise cubs." Jiang Meng appealed that if the citizens find a single finless porpoise on the shore, they should not touch it at will, let alone fish the cubs ashore without authorization, but call the police at the first time and let the experts handle it.

Jiang Meng said that they originally planned to send the finless porpoise cub to Wuhan to "foster" a female finless porpoise who was giving birth in Wuhan, but unfortunately, this cub did not survive for long.

Zhu Chuanhui, a senior conservationist of finless porpoise who studied environmental science in Australia, told The Paper that in his opinion, the best way to meet similar situations is to let the cubs stay where they are.

"If you stay where you are, the cubs will at least have hope to reunite with their mothers. Just because the water is found to be rushing does not mean that the cubs will not be discovered by their mothers." Zhu Chuanhui said that if it is farmed artificially, it may be possible to maintain its life by formula milk for a period of time, but in addition, the cub needs its mother to teach it to swim, survive and forage, which humans cannot do. Moreover, the cubs who have no viability come to live alone in a strange environment, which is slightly inappropriate and is likely to die because of fright and drowning.

Zhu Chuanhui believes that professionalism is more important than love in protecting wild animals. "Humans love wild animals very much, but wild animals may not love humans. Compared with love, they may need more professional and practical protection. "

According to public information, the finless porpoise is known as the "smiling angel" in the water. At present, the number of finless porpoises in China is about 1000, which is rarer than that of giant pandas, and has been listed as an "extremely endangered" species.