Context: Recently, Gangetic dolphins have become more visible in the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) in Bihar due to the lack of human activity on the Ganga during the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown.
Key Points

• The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China (now extinct), the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.
• The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal.
• The Gangetic river species is found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
• It is blind and finds its way and prey in the river waters through echoes.
• Gangetic dolphins live in a zone where there is little or no current, helping them save energy. If they sense danger, they can dive into deep waters. The dolphins swim from the no-current zone to the edges to hunt for fish and return.
• Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.

Their Conservation Status

• They fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 
• IUCN status: Endangered
• They are also one among the 21 species identified under the centrally sponsored scheme, “Development of Wildlife Habitat”.
• They are in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).