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Rare river dolphin [probably] 'now extinct'. :(

news.bbc.co.uk — A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded. The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals' habitat. It would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

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  • SilverBack101, on 10/10/2007, -19/+146Now this proves that as humans...we're assholes.
    • Snarfy, on 10/10/2007, -25/+14Save the planet. Kill yourself.
    • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -30/+6it proves as humans we are a better species
      • joe7845, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11If survivability is your yardstick, then bacteria are the best species. They will outlive us, no doubt.
    • Glansbourg, on 10/10/2007, -24/+11Are you suggesting that the Chinese are "human"?
    • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -8/+0http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2325253480967547343&q=george+carlin&total=922&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

      - *****
      • Homunculiheaded, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11You know I really am starting to hate that GC routine. The theme is that it's arrogant to try to protect endangered species, and that we should just leave 'nature' alone. But that's impossible, if our actions can wipe out a species that it is our responsibility to decide whether that's really what we want to do. These dolphins aren't extinct because of 'nature' (which is a completely abstract and almost meaningless concept anyway), it's because of polution and a giant dam that are both our, as humans, responsibility. Carlin's claim that it is arrogance to intervene is just trying to give a false sense of humility to justify what is fundamentally just irresponsibility. Maybe it is arrogant, but maybe it was arrogant to build giant cities and industrialized civilization too, it doesn't matter in the end you must take responsibility for your actions.
        • OGTL, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What the *****? Nature is a abstract concept? Are you ***** retarded?
      • frieddonuts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1No one will get tubeblender's ***** message anyway, because no one clicks on those video links in the comments.
    • djphatjive, on 10/10/2007, -13/+5The only way to save the planet is to leave it.
      • wendelgee2, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5That's *****...you're just giving up. Take the American alligator for instance...if we take a few simple steps, we can reverse some adverse effects of development.
        • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The American alligator is back in large numbers and is now hunted to control the population... poor example.
          Come to Florida. Try the gator! Mmmm
      • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8k, you first.
    • indorock, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4most of us are, yes :(

      i read the story about the demise of the passenger pigeon just last week (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Pigeon), that also made me ashamed to be a human.

      Why is it that the species of animal least responsible and most harmful to the planet as a whole is so ***** abundant?? I thought nature is supposed to balance things out...
      • TritonX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Well, sooner or later nature will balance things. Our behavior will accelerate our planet to another mass extinction. The species able to survive the mess we will then have created by over-exploiting resources will be the one taking over the planet. We might survive or not, but life will still be here for a while.
        • thatbuncha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6i'm sure we won't and Earth will smile. i know i would if i were Earth. humans suck.
      • kmpr326, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3They aren't extict. They are just leaving before the end of the world. They tried to warn us, but we just thought they were playing with us.
    • Homunculiheaded, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3We're such assholes we even get to be responsible for our own mass extiction event, check out this wikipedia article for: Holocene extinction event-
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction_event
    • spillingvoid, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3MMMM dolphin
    • LuciusBrutus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4We just have too many people. If the population was smaller it would be a non issue. We have to change our way of thinking but as we have learned in our current day that is almost impossible.

      Current economics promotes population expansion. (based on lies too)
      Religion promotes population expansion.
      Socialism promotes population expansion. (People dependent upon handouts who breed beyond their "local" resources.)
      Politics promotes population expansion. (The more people, the easier to control especially in a two party system.)
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4All you pessimists out there are jerks. If you feel so terribly about what humans can do that is bad, maybe you need to open your eyes to the other half of the glass. All this shows is that man can be a terrible *****, but to make the generalization that we're all assholes is rather arrogant of one's self and quite a little emo.
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3No, it only proves that the Chinese eat dolphins- in addition to cats and dogs.
    • NinjaBoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7So long and thanks for the fish.
    • aoneal417, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I know, right?
    • da_bradler, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3your statement implies Chinese people are humans. we've all seen the videos of them skinning live dogs and such. as far as I'm concerned these people have a while to go before they can be considered civilized,
      • Kilik123, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0"these people"? dude, wtf is you problem? everybody on this damn site is such a hypocrite. civilized? and just what is that? you're telling me america with its torture, white-collar crimes, and warlike mentality is MORE civilized than people trying to feed themselves?

        i know i'm going to dugg down for this because some people are just too blind and ignorant to look at what's in front of them.
    • CaptainMcCrank, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Dear Everyone Who Clicked On Dig For OP's Comment,
      You are an idiot.

      P.S. If you don't not dig me down, then i don't not win
    • artemus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I knew the Chinese should never have built that dam...
  • ShaneApex, on 10/10/2007, -31/+18***** that, the Chinese are assholes. Look into it. Every toy recall ever...Made in China. Once a week a coal factory is completed that can power the city of Houston. Do you really think they give a *****?
    • alexology, on 10/10/2007, -17/+8RTFA - Its not the 'evil chinese' asshat, its humanity as a whole who are killing off these majestic creatures due to our adverse effect on the Earth.
      • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13Ummm.... It was actually the Chinese who did this. RTFA for yourself.
        • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Look who's talking, probably another 'Evil American' who killed the Passenger Pigeons.
      • MacEnvy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Actually in this case, it was mostly the Chinese.

        We're certainly just as guilty in many cases, but this one was mostly them.
    • echan, on 10/10/2007, -17/+3STFU *****
    • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Problem: Chinese
      Solution: Eat more Chinese


      • TheTaoOfBill, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2How can I hate them when their egg rolls are so delicious!?
        • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0EAT THEM! EAT THEM. Don't hate. EAT.

          Sorry, lost my head for a moment, and I'm too lazy to delete it.
    • rhcp430, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3honestly I thought the digg community would be a little more open minded about socioeconomic circumstances due to the news articles posted on the front page everyday. But I guess people don't understand that meat is a delicacy in third world countries and If i were starving to death, I would kill something endangered to feed my family. Most of the fisherman fit into that category.

      Some of the articles posted everyday show how humanity is becoming more evil and corrupt and spouting racist comments like these do not ameliorate our problems whatsoever. I disagree with a lot of China's policies and practices, but I would never blindly hate something that I nothing about. Go to a third world country and try living there for a month and then comment about how ***** the products//people are.

      Honestly, I have not reached the point of valuing endangered species over human life. I read digg everyday because the community is more intellectual than the average american. Please do not ruin this by spouting comments like these (even if you are trolling).
      • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1whatever

        Dude the Chinese probably ate the damn dolphins. If not they dumped a bunch of pollution in the rivers, on their quest to eventually grow so large they take over the Earth.
        • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Of course dude, World Domination is the only thing the Chinese care about.
      • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Thank you for your comment, it was well said.

        It's very sad that average Digger is getting stupider and stupider everyday. It give me great sadness that I could confidently say that digg community is no longer more intelligence than average American. Everyday when I read any comment on Digg, it's mostly filled with craps.
    • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10The Chinese don't seem to care about much. From cardboard stuffed dimsum, to live boiled cats, to poison pet food, to extinct dolphins, Tibet... yeah, no pattern. But if anyone is to blame it would be their government not the Chinese people themselves.
      • rhcp430, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4exactly.

        You all have to take into account that the media is not perfect as it used to be. Considering there are 1.3 billion people, freak incidences will come up and most likely, it will make a good news story.

        I am a chinese-american, but if I saw one of my countrymen smiling while skinning an animal alive, I would roundhouse kick him in the face.

        When i see comments like "eww they're dogeaters" etc., I get a little upset. Most of the dogeaters in china have no other food source and the percentage of chinese people that eat dog as a staple food is less than 10% i believe. You also have to consider the viewpoint of the culture; in China, some people think that westerners are disgusting because they eat turkey.
      • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Well you have a point but it's also not like there aren't all kinds of Chinese who are well aware of what they are doing to perpetuate the Chinese regime, and they're aware that they are hurting their other countrymen- but they don't give a *****; they just want to build that factory and eat another dog. But MOST of the people are poor farmers basically out in the countryside on their own, working the fields, and eating dogs.
        • brotherfranciz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"... they're aware that they are hurting their other countrymen- but they don't give a *****; they just want to build that factory and eat another dog."

          Riiiight... so are you telling me that you've never been ripped off by your fellow countrymen? Replace the word "factory" with "mansion with 1000 rooms and a golf course" and replace the word "dog" with "caviar"... there you have it - a Western equivalent.
      • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2So jtb4,
        I'm Chinese. What do you suggest I should do?

        1. I don't eat dog, so there are no point in telling me to stop eating dog.
        2. Nobody in my family eat dog, so there no point in telling anyone to stop eating dog.
        3. None of my neighbors I know eat dog, so there no point in telling the neighbosr to stop eating dog.
        4. I don't know any poor farmers, so I can't tell you if they eat dog or not, but I can tell you that about 60% of Chinese population is rural. That's about 700-800 millions people. Let's said only 10 percent of them are poor so that's about 70-80 millions. Let's said only half of that eat dog at least once a year. That's about 35-40 millions dogs. I don't know about what you think, but I'm very skeptical anyone could economically raise that much dogs for slaughter when it's probably cheaper to raise other animals for food. But of course, you can feel free to disagree with me.

        6. What's wrong with perpetuate the Chinese regime? Are you saying disorder and anarchy is better? I seriously doubt that you have read any Chinese history, but I can tell you that every time there is a regime change, ten of millions Chinese die. Of course, you might said they are only Chinese after all, who care if they die. I can tell you most Chinese actually value their life, so they have a interest in perpetuating the current regime.

        7. Lastly, it's very sad that little piece of ***** like you are posting comments on my favorite website. You freakin' ruin this place.
  • Drkboarder, on 10/10/2007, -15/+9Truly sad. I'm sure we'll be seeing more extinctions in the coming decades from beautiful creatures.

    BTW, you sure have an extensive use of ASCII.
    • ninsei, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1it only matters if they're "beautiful" then?
      • MacEnvy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Some people consider all diverse life "beautiful". I think sea snails are pretty awesome too, and I'd be pissed if they went extinct.

        From a practical point of view, it's a lot easier to raise awareness of porpoise extinctions than sea snails, though. That's why this is publicized so much. Makes sense to me.
        • bogart27, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0If dolphins are so smart, why do they live in igloos?
  • lidong, on 10/10/2007, -8/+115Maybe they just left earth and flew into the universe.
    • Vegiemaster, on 10/10/2007, -1/+32So long and thanks for all the fish...

      [Sorry if someone else already said it]
    • TheIronBadger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I think that you should look at Douglas Adams one non-fiction book, last chance to see. I think that it may be the only environmental book that makes you both laugh and feel like we are losing something at the same time.
    • tw0bit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3they are probably very rare now that they are extinct
    • da_bradler, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1well if the 2nd most intelligent animal on earth has left... maybe us the 3rd most intelligent better think about hitching a ride the hell out of here
  • reboare, on 10/10/2007, -18/+6Maybe those fu__kers in Japan ate them. I just saw that video on youtube about dolphins being eaten by Niponese. Good God Almighty.
    • Akaji, on 10/10/2007, -6/+8Glad to see you're keeping your racism in check and not letting it blatantly affect your comments.
      • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1> Good God Almighty!

        At least he's a good God Fearing Christian...

        /vomit
      • willynilly, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4That isn't racism, you dumb-ass. The criticism of known actions taken by a particular group is just that: CRITICISM.
      • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Nah the Japs didn't eat them, the Chinks did. Good God Almighty hates it when you eat a dog, or worship a cow for that matter.
        • reboare, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Nipponese - a native or inhabitant of Japan. Fu_kers in Japan...redirect to Fu_kers on Digg. Stupidest thread comments EVER.
    • Monk22, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5becuase watching a video of something actually happening is now racist?
  • alexology, on 10/10/2007, -12/+28"Unlike most historical-era extinctions of large bodied animals, the baiji was the victim not of active persecution but incidental mortality resulting from massive-scale human environmental impacts"

    How much more evidence do people need to realize that we have a primary role in climate change?
    • viciouspoultry, on 10/10/2007, -2/+21I don't think this extinction has to do with climate change rather polluting the river with waste of any kind.
    • Arcesius, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Climate change is just the poster child for the whole environmental consciousness movement. As far as I'm aware, we have a bunch of other destructive habits that are altering the earth in an unfavorable manner (unfavorable for future generations, at least)

      In other words, there are plenty of other reasons not to drive a hummer (side note: I have a helluva time not putting an expletive in front of .... hummer)
    • bobcrotch, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3Like the global warming thing is totally killing dolphins, man.
    • badarabdad, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1read past that sentence and you will get to the part about reckless fishing practices, boat collisions, and dams. climate change was not mentioned, and i'm not sure a fresh water dolphin would be the first species to go. it would more likely be an amphibian as they are quite sensitive to temperatures.
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Now THAT is true. It is getting to the point where even conservatives like me cannot deny it with a straight face.
  • gregdogum, on 10/10/2007, -8/+15Nooooooooo!!! Flipper!!! :-(
  • shinythingy, on 10/10/2007, -15/+84So long and thanks for all the fish
    • masonexcell, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1you are right. they probably left. Everyone dont leave home without your towell.
    • fr3nch13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5You got to be kidding me, you have 42 diggs right now!
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I didn't wanna dig you up because you were right at 42
    • krets, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6I had to dig you down to try and get you back to 42!
  • psevium, on 10/10/2007, -3/+20Hopefully we don't lose more...

    http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/pinkdolphin.asp
    • masonexcell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah thats not a different species of Dolphin. It is just an albino a rare genetic mutations that all species share. A little gift from evolution.
  • rob357, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2who's next?
  • Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -1/+52This has been on the frontpage twice before, but I guess it's good that people notice at least one species going extinct.

    Anyway, the Baiji went extinct as a result of the Three Gorges Dam. It was known before the dam was built that the dam would drive an estimated 17 species of vertebrates, mostly migratory fish but also the Baiji, extinct - and it did. It is true that overhunting brought the population low, but the dam was the final nail in the coffin. That the Three Gorges Dam, Chinas newest pride, is an ecological disaster is a bit politically sensitive, which is why the extinction is pretty much universally blamed on overhunting.
    • Arcesius, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Thanks for the info. I wouldn't have known that otherwise.
    • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6That's the price one has to pay for progress, I guess... How many more coal power plants would China need to match the energy they get from the dam?
    • OrangeCrush, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Uncertain, but I was under the impression that the Yangtzee was being used as an open-air sewer and that's what drove them extinct.
  • smacksaw, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5When I read "overfishing" I was wondering if it was their food, or the dolphins as food. I have friends from mainland China and if it's alive, they've got a hankerin' for it's meat. Who knew that when it's wintertime, that's when dog is in season!
    • OrangeCrush, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2[pedant] One does not fish for (mammalian) Dolphins. They're hunted. [/pedant]
    • TheIronBadger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2In china they eat rats... not the poor people because they can't find anything else, the rich people because it is a delicacy. I agree that the chinese tend to eat anything and everything.
  • turleh, on 10/10/2007, -5/+14look that video up on youtube.. those ***** slay the dolphins in thousands, confuse them by playing sonar.. cut them up in front of their familys, and the other dolphins dont leave an injured one behind, so they get slayed.

    scum
    • harshalx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Dude, can you point me to the youtube video?
    • yifes, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2since the 1970's there was only an estimated 400 river dophlins left, and the number kept on dwindling. How do you slay these dolphins in the thousands when there's only like 1 of them sighted a year? Wow your comment is retarded
    • duniyadnd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I think you're talking about this - not the same country thought (I posted it below but found it relevant for this conversation as well - apologies for double posting)

      http://www.boingboing.net/2003/11/01/photo_river_of_blood.html
  • djmadness, on 10/10/2007, -6/+0StarKist did it!
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Nah the Chinese probably ate them for real.
  • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -16/+1If Dolphins are so smart why do the get caught in those fishing nets all the time? Another one bites the dust.
    • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3because they don't see them?
    • AxiomShell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2At least they have a reputation for being smart, unlike you, with a reputation for being an idiot.
      • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0man you guys do not watch enough south park
        • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1seems like you probably watch too much of it. South Park isn't that funny to me any more. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I'm not 16 anymore.
        • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0or maybe you still haven't pulled that stick out of your ass to regain your sense of humor
  • youdlike2know, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6i blame the omni-net, it sweeps the sea clean... well that and the 3 Gorges Dam
  • DiggsOnlyJew, on 10/10/2007, -16/+1Dinosaurs are extinct... the world goes on.

    QQ animal lovers.
  • DiggsOnlyJew, on 10/10/2007, -16/+2Dinosaurs are extinct... the world goes on.

    QQ animal lovers.
    • AxiomShell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Yes, evolution and meteors do that usually. Not restaurants and diesel pollution.
  • Azlen, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3The number of species that became extinct before man even made an appearance on the planet is fairly extensive. Do we not believe in the evolutionary process of "survival of the fittest" anymore?
    • indorock, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5yeah, idiot, you are comparing extinction levels over 100 thousand years before the onslaught of humans, to 200 years since industrial revolution, which are roughly the same. Oh wait, except for the time frame.
    • AxiomShell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Right ... hope you're fit. Good luck.
    • Branyers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3What a ***** up thing to say. By that logic, humans should be as ruthless as they want and the only remaining species alongside us would be mutated rats and cockroaches.

      No, in order to sustain a human population, at some point, we need to harmonize with nature.
  • retop56, on 10/10/2007, -7/+5Did you know that this was posted as a news story on Wikipedia about 7 months ago? This is old news
    • Glansbourg, on 10/10/2007, -7/+0"DUH!!!! IT WAS IN A 'WIKI' 7 MONTHS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

      WTF dude, are you serious?
    • Raian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It has also been on digg before.
  • jakejohnson, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Its ok. I didn't submit this exact same page this morning or anything.... ¬_¬
  • cvelusc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11"We have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet."
    • CarolinaHeel23, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3hahahahahahaahahahaahaha
      • masonexcell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah because since we are the only species on this planet with cognitive thought it is not our responsibility to take care of this planet. Yeah I guess you are right, just continue on with your god-complex.
    • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2we aren't ***** guardians, we just happen to live here, too.
      • Branyers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5...and incidentally ***** up nearly everything we touch.
    • LuciusBrutus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't know about guardians but I do know we are responsible for our actions. And for every action there is a consequence.

      China has to many people and is going through a industrial revolution akin to Japan known as the Meji restoration. To bad for the dolphin and I didn't even know there were fresh water ones. China is a waste dump though. If they don't start taking care of it they will kill themselves off. I'm not sure they care or the wealthy simply don't care. Probably start seeing humans dying off. Maybe they already do.

      It amazes me though that people think it is okay to dump sewage in the air like the Chinese do to rivers and think there is zero consequence. As if there is no reaction to the action.
    • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Captain planet, he's our hero
  • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4I for one love all animals.
    I think they taste great.
  • jasoncz1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8In the 60's in parts of the Yangzi river, there was an abundance of the bai-qi-tuns (白鰭豚：Lipotes vexillifer). During the great famine, the mammal was called "pig of the river" since the meat tasted like pigs. At that time people ate them because there was not much else to eat, and because there were so many in the river.
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I told them so above and got called a racist, but I didn't have the facts. I was just going on my racist gut feeling.
  • Raian, on 10/10/2007, -8/+4One more reason to hate China-- as if there aren't enough already.
    • Kilik123, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0one more reason to hate you, as if there weren't enough before
  • shaka999, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12Anyone know why some of these weren't preserved inside a zoo/aquarium somewhere?
    • AxiomShell, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Yes. In those little tanks at the entrance of seafood restaurants.
      /sarcasm
    • Monk22, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2becuase they arent pickles you cant just pick up a couple and stick them in a tank.
      • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0sure you could, here's how. Start by building a damn at one.....
      • octophobic, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You keep your pickles in a fish tank?
    • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3They can't seem to transport these delicate creatures out of their habitat for some reason, they keep dying, or it could be the other rumor I've heard, they also taste really really good with lemon over rice pilaf.

      Take your pick.
  • loconet, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Thankfully we still have http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boto
  • nihilite, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13Is anyone surprised by this? If the chinese havent eaten them into extinction they will poison them into extinction. China used to have vast forests, now it has vast deserts. China's industrial revolution has been a filthy endeavor and i expect this kind of news to be multiplied hundredfold before long.
    • ShaneApex, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1It's funny, i said damn near the same thing and got dugg down.
    • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The Eastern U.S used to have a vast forests, now it's mostly gone. What's the point with your statement? I can make more factually true statements like that if you want.

      Can you tell me industrial revolution in any country that's NOT a filthy endeavor?
  • MrMetal, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Hopefully a probe won't appear in our space anytime soon, blacking out power grids across the world while trying to communicate with the dolphins in our rivers. We're all screwed.
  • themic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8I'm freaking tired of humans being douchebags.
  • seafoodmama, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0just to play devil's advocate how do we balance evolution with our own ideals...that is to say part of evolution is forcing other things to go extinct by out competing with them for food. im not advocating for extinction but where is the line between our continued survival and those of another mammal.
    • TheIronBadger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Have you ever heard of punctuation?
    • AnarchyReigns, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2We're not out-competing the other species, we're dominating them. And doing it in excess. Read "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn, it has a very interesting POV on the subject.
    • AxiomShell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3lol ... you're serious, aren't you?
      2 billion chinese competing for food with 500 dolphins?
      Now that they are gone, it's the time of plenty!
    • topaz7, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I think that every species we lose is an opportunity lost. There's so much benefit to diversity, things like discovery of medications, for example. So it's less competition than shooting ourselves in the foot.
    • seafoodmama, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0these comments are interesting and you all should be ashamed of yourselves for such knee jerk reactions. i am not advocating for or against the extinction of a species i am merely asking a question with regards to evolution and the concept of survival of the fittest. our ascension to the "top" of the food chain or whatever you want to call our place in this world happened because our predecessors of humane and prehuman kind forced other species that were competing with us for limited resources to extinction. i just find it interesting that we seem to not recognize this. from my recollection, perhaps the theory has changed, our prehuman ancestor killed off the Neanderthals. and to answer anarchyreigns question out-competing is dominating by definition. again i think what the chinese is despicable i am merely postulating a question from how emotional people get when things go extinct by man's hand as if this was something that man alone has done.
  • 4eloBek, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1I am sorry to say the last one i killed and eaten i was starving... /sarc
    anyhow this year alone 60k species vanished already, that nature and sadly dolphins could not adapt and its true humans are to blame, mostly americans and Europeans for their greed, eat less, drive less buy less ***** and if you did the dolphinz would prolly still swimming, but no you just sad that its extinct.
    • Chode2235, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Thanks, but in this case it has a lot more to do with the building of a dam that destroyed their habitat than evil SUV driving Americans. Granted I agree with the premise that we should "at less, drive less buy less ***** ". But thanks for the blather.
  • DontGiveADamn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6"If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years." OK I'll bite. What was the last large vertebrate to go extinct?
  • TimoP, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1The sad smiley in the title makes it impossible for me to take this story seriously.
  • swoopdog, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1poor dolphins :' 0(
    • drakenlot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Why is there a zero there? Please explain what that is supposed to be. Unless it's a giant snot bubble, then please don't tell me...
  • DJFMA, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm pretty sure they filmed those dolphins for the series "Planet Earth"... a must watch!
    • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0So, they are in fact NOT extinct!
      • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0planet earth started filming 5 years ago, they could very well be extinct now and or 1 year ago by this article
    • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I think those were different dolphins from the amazon. Either way, once we've captured them in HD, who needs the real thing? HD is higher resolution than life.
  • duniyadnd, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2And this is what happens in Japan :(
    http://www.boingboing.net/2003/11/01/photo_river_of_blood.html
  • djdedeo0, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This story, while sad, is at the least a year and a half old. They built the damns in the Yangtze river and flooded everything and just ruined the natural flow of things.
  • bigern75, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4One word for the reason of this -- China
    • TheIronBadger, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Well, they did pollute the river with boat noise and fish them to death but western countries have done the same things. If you don't believe me try going to a forest in Europe and find me 4 different animals... you could be there a week.
  • snotrokit, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4go china! Tibet, Lead, Dolphins, environment, human rights, destruction of the entire world economy, etc. etc. What DO you care about?
    • drakenlot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Chinese food?
    • rlegions, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Lifting hundred millions of Chinese out of poverty in last few decades?
      Of course, this is Digg, I would not expect any Digger give a damn about a Chinese person.

      Please just ignore my comment, continue with your China-bashing.
  • FRANKeB, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5The scientists also stated that the last specimen they had seen tasted 'a lot like chicken'.
  • TheDHC, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2dolphins, should have evolved faster, you pussies
    • LuciusBrutus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0They did. You are the walking pig dolphin, their decendant.



  • tubeblender, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1If only they tasted really really good, we could raise them on farms and slaughter them for food. Now there is a concept I can run with.
  • ramong, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Too bad, I guess they will just have to eat more tuna.
  • anmol2k4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They still exist in Ganges. But i believe that they too are trouble.
    But i believe that Mao was a stupid person, he erased China's culture and have destroyed it eco-system.
    For what ?
    It makes me wonder if they sell toxic stuff to America, then what they sell to their poor population ???????
    • octophobic, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Fake eggs for one. Eggs are sold by weight there and fake eggs (even though they are poisonous) bring in more money.
  • drakenlot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Almost 100 comments and no one said anything about the stupid article writing?

    FTA:If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

    That line is there twice. Moron editor, or he's trying to get the point across subliminally.

    Nonetheless, it's pretty sad to see animals go extinct, like the Do-Do bird. Man, what I'd give to see one of those in real-life
    • Mysrt, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0"Nonetheless, it's pretty sad to see animals go extinct, like the Do-Do bird. Man, what I'd give to see one of those in real-life"

      nothing
  • kevlarbaboon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2To most of you, grow up. There is no reason to be ashamed of being human. It doesn't ***** do anything. Stand up and get involved in something to help save biodiversity. Try Google!

    Anyway, there still are river dolphins, this just marks the probable end of the particular species. So I'm guessing they probably filmed a different dolphin for the Planet Earth freshwater episode.
  • in2deep, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2This is sad...we need to start doing more for these animals!
  • xevidentx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2another reason why the chinese communist gov't is crap
  • Glaisne, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Excellent! Our wiping out of life on Earth is proceeding quite effectively!
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