Her name was Mrs. T to the humans that knew her. She was one of the first Taiwan pink dolphins to be catalogued by researchers. She drowned in September 2009; a victim of entanglement in fishing gear. There are less than 70 of her kind left. [Beached Taiwan Pink Dolphin at Sinpu in Tonghsiao township, Miaoli County, Taiwan 25 September 2009:- Photo Coast Guard Administration] Taiwan; it might be on the other side of the world but is it so far away? I bet if you look around you'll see quite a lot of what you use was made in Taiwan. Chances are the PC you're reading this on or many of its components come from Taiwan. We're not saying that buying things made in Taiwan is bad. But, collectively as industry along Taiwan's west coast expands in its quest to pump out more goods it's doing a lot of damage to the coastal environment. As top of the food chain on Taiwan's west coast, the Taiwan pink dolphins are doing really badly in their battle just to survive against the human-made industrial onslaught. Huge chemical plants and other industry pollute the seas and reclaim land that was prime dolphin habitat. Beaches are turned into barren concrete jungles. Rivers are dammed degradating estuaries to supply the every growing water demands of industry. Commercial trawlers plunder the inshore waters and their nets pose deadly hazards to the dolphins. The military fires into the remaining dolphin habitat during live-fire exercises. This is just too much for the natural environment. In August 2008 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the Taiwan pink dolphins as critically endangered; just one step away from extinction. Unless something is done now to save this unique population of dolphins they will follow in the wake of the dead dolphin in the photo and will swim no more, ever !
Help us save the Taiwan pink dolphins by signing the petition and speaking out !
Sign the online Petion here !
Send this letter of concern to the Taiwan President.
Watch the Taiwan pink dolphin video.
No comments:
Post a Comment