River dolphin found dead on Ganga bank, probe ordered

A 1.16 m long river dolphin has been found dead on the banks of the Ganga here prompting wildlife authorities to order a probe today.
 
Bihar chief wildlife warden BA Khan told PTI that the national aquatic animal was found dead near the Collectorate Ghat here yesterday.
 
"I have asked the district wildlife officials to probe the reasons behind the death of the aquatic mammal and submit a report by Monday," he said.
 
An FIR will be lodged by divisional forest official (Patna) in this connection for probing whether the endangered animal was poached and killed, Khan said.
 
The dead dolphin was brought to the environmental science laboratory in Patna University and environmental scientists and a member of the Ganga River Basin Authority of India, RK Sinha, are examining the cause of the death.
 
About 15 river dolphins have been reportedly killed in different parts of Bihar, including Bhagalpur and Patna this year, wildlife sources said.
 
The river dolphin, a rare species, was declared the national aquatic animal by prime minister Manmohan Singh about a month and a half ago.