KARACHI, Jan 13: The Sindh Wildlife Department is launching a massive rescue and relocation operation on Friday for the Indus dolphins that strayed into different canals during monsoon.

According to sources, at least 12 such dolphins have been located after getting stranded in different canals originating from Sukkur Barrage. According to sources, the dolphins usually stray into various canals during monsoon when the canal gates remain wide open to maintain water-level at the barrage.

Another factor is shortage of food in the Indus river. These dolphins are then rescued and driven back to the river during the annual closure of canals. They said that six dolphins had been located in the Khirthar canal, two in the Rice canal, two in Dadu canal, and one each in Begari canal and Ghotki feeder.

The carcass of one dolphin was also recovered from Sherawah, while two dolphins were rescued and driven back, each from the Begari and Rice canals, to the Dolphin Reserve. The unique freshwater mammal - Indus dolphin - is found only in the Indus river. It originally inhabited the sea millions of years back.

As the sea level fell, the dolphins that were captured in the rivers, adapted themselves to the silt-infested turbid river waters. They have lost eyesight, but the Nature compensated them with a highly sensitive sonar system that helps them navigate and find food.

River dolphins are also found in other countries like Brazil, Vietnam, India, Korea, etc., but only the Indus dolphin is blind. The Indus dolphin was found in great numbers in the Indus river and its various tributaries from the NWFP to the deltaic region, and according to findings of a wildlife expert, Mr Anderson, who studied the dolphins move than 120 years back, said the mammal was found between Attock and the Indus delta in Sindh, besides Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.

But due to the raising of various man-made barriers - dams and barrages - on the river, the habitat of the Indus dolphin shrunk drastically to just around 900 kilometres, between the Jinnah and Sukkur barrages.

Keeping in view the uniqueness of the Indus dolphin and the threats it is exposed to, the Sindh Wildlife Department declared the 170-kilometre-stretch of the Indus river - Dolphin Reserve - between Sukkur and Guddu barrages 'protected area' where netting, hunting and poaching of dolphins is banned under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Act.