Firing back

voluntarily herd shoals of fish towards fishing boats. The fishermen benefit from enhanced catches and the dolphins feed on the entrapped fish, as well as getting some rewards from the fishermen. Nonetheless, numbers of dolphins have declined in Myanmar as a result of electrocution through illegal electric fishing, entanglement in nets, mercury poisoning and habitat loss from gold mining. Myanmar’s fisheries department and WCS found that the species had declined by some 60 per cent in the region, and that only 59 to 72 individuals remained in the river region, approximately 1,000 kilometres from the sea. The WCS has helped establish protected areas along the Ayeyarwady river to help conserve this rare mammal and boost awareness “of its unique role in the river’s livelihoods”, says the WCS. are to the impacts of humans, conservationists say. The WCS is now working with the ministry of environment and forests in Bangladesh on plans for establishing a protected area for both Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins in the Sunderbans mangrove forest. “WCS’s discovery that a thriving population of Irrawaddy dolphins exists in Bangladesh gives us hope for protecting this and other endangered species and their important habitats,” says Stephen Sanderson, president of the WCS. The WCS “is committed to conservation of these iconic marine species from dolphins, sea turtles, sharks to the largest whales.” The Irrawaddy dolphin has already won some friends. In Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady river, these dolphins are known for their ‘cooperative fishing’ with humans. Animals are known to Hidden: An estimated 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been found to inhabit the mangrove forests of Bangladesh. (Photo: Alice Rocco.) The state of Victoria experienced some of the worst bush fires recorded in Australia earlier this year with many people killed by the various blazes that raged through the height of the summer under searing temperatures and northerly winds. The fires are also expected to have had a devastating effect on the fauna of the area, with the speed of spread making it difficult for many animals to escape. But recent pictures from one of the most devastated areas shows that within weeks, the charred trunks of many trees are already sprouting new growth, revealing just how the flora has adapted to bush fires that, in less devastating circumstances, appear part of the normal cycle in this environment. And Victoria’s environment minister, Gavin Jennings, announced at the beginning of the month that the state’s parks would be open for Easter. “We are confident that people will be safe in the parks,” he said. But an understanding of the longerterm damage of the bush fires to a remarkable environment will take some time to assess. The Australian bush is already regenerating after record fires, reports Nigel Williams. Firing back