Moving Yangtze finless porpoises to a safer home

Only about 1,000 Yangtze finless porpoises remain in the wild. The animals live exclusively in the main stream of the Yangtze River and two adjacent lakes—habitats that are severely degraded by unsustainable fishing, shipping traffic, sand mining, pollution, and climate change. In 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, supported by WWF and the Chinese Institute of Hydrobiology, translocated eight of the animals from a healthy population in Poyang Lake to more remote oxbow lakes. These oxbows are similar to the porpoise’s natural habitat, but better protected; they may be crucial to saving the species in the long run.

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World Wildlife magazine provides an inspiring, in-depth look at the connections between animals, people and our planet. Published quarterly by WWF, the magazine helps make you a part of our efforts to solve some of the most pressing issues facing the natural world.

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