Pakistani man gets 5 years in prison for killing rare blind dolphin

KARACHI – A man who killed the endangered Indus River blind dolphin gets 5 five years behind bars and Rs0.25 million fine in Sukkur, a city in Sindh province located along the western bank of the Indus River, which is home to the rare blind dolphin

Reports in local media claimed that the stern punishment is the first time in history in a bid to protect the endangered blind dolphins, one of only four freshwater dolphin species left.

A local court in Sukkur announced the punishment to a man identified as Manoor Mirani who killed the blind dolphin stuck in a trap net last year.

Officials took action as a clip circulated on social media went viral in which Mirani can be seen killing the endangered aquatic mammal using an axe.

The trial started as Wildlife lodged a case against Mirani, and reports claimed that the forensics of his viral video was conducted by Punjab Forensic Science Agency for graphic authenticity.

Freshwater dolphin is a rare species, found in Pakistani and Indian region in the Indus; several organizations continued spreading awareness about them amid conservation drives to educate local communities.

IUCN earlier put these mammals on the list of endangered species following a sharp decline in their numbers.