The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the results of the 2022 basin-wide Yangtze finless porpoise expedition, which put the number of Yangtze finless porpoises at 1,249, an increase of more than 20 percent compared to 2017.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a national first-class protected animal, and the scientific research team was heartened that they found 99 pairs of mother and child Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River main stream.

The research team introduced that at this time, the baby Yangtze finless porpoises are in the nursing stage and their size is obviously smaller than the adult, so they are easier to be observed.

The baby Yangtze finless porpoises and their mothers are inseparable, and they usually come out of the water one after another. In addition, it is also very easy to identify them by their body shape. This may indicate that the Yangtze finless porpoise population is in a recovery period, said Hao Yujiang, a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This year will also be the first attempt to release the finless porpoises from the relocation reserve into the Yangtze River. The ultimate goal is to return them to the Yangtze River, said Wang Ding, a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. At present, there are two Yangtze finless porpoises, which have been trained for almost two years, and will be released in the wild.

"We are also very happy that four dolphins have now been successfully born and survived in captivity, one of which is a female," Wang added.

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