Rare river dolphin, baiji 'now extinct'

A few months ago, I watched Yangtze river dolphins on a PBS show. It was the first time I saw them. I have heard of them, read about them, and now I hear they are extinct! I don't even know how to react. I was sad when my Grand Father explained to me about the Dodo bird going extinct. Had we known we could have stopped it from happening, he also said. He is in God's world now having crossed the rainbow over a few years ago. I am happy for him because he would be a sad man to hear that another species have vanished right under our eyes.
Here is an excerpt from the BBC report;
"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.The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years. The World Conservation Union's Red List of Threaten Species currently classifies the creature as "critically endangered"."

Tags: river dolphin, baiji, extinction