On March 3rd at 10:30 a.m., the aquaculture farmers in the Poyang Lake region held a farewell party for two little female Yangtze finless porpoises. After more than 4 hours journey, these two little female Yangtze finless porpoises arrived in the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin of IHB that day at 14:54.

They were a bit nervous at the beginning, yet they soon adapted to the environment at IHB and began to enjoy themselves in their new home. The two Yangtze finless porpoises from Poyang Lake formally housed in the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin.

Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake of China where lives about 450 Yangtze finless porpoises and has the most intense and the largest number of Yangtze finless porpoise population. Supported by Jiangxi Fishery Administration Bureau and Duchang Fishery Administration Branch, during February 20^th and February 24^th, IHB professors invited aquaculture farmers from Tian-e-zhou Baiji National Reserve as well as Shishou city and Duchang city conducted a five-day sampling survey on Yangtze finless porpoises living in the Poyang Lake in order to further collect the data of Yangtze finless porpoise population.

In this survey, 29 Yangtze finless porpoises were captured and a series of examinations were carried out, e.g. morphological examination, B ultrasonic examination, blood sampling, and labeled PIT for the captured Yangtze finless porpoises. These two female Yangtze finless porpoises were selected from the 29 captured ones. After 8 days’ domestication and training, they were transported to the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin at IHB on March 3^rd.  

One of the important conservation measures for Yangtze finless porpoises is to breed in captivity. In 1996, the rearing of Yangtze finless porpoises was successfully carried out in the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin. At present, the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin boasts world’s only Yangtze finless porpoise population which are reared and bred in captivity.

In 2005, Yangtze finless porpoises was first successfully bred in captivity, and during 2007 and 2008, two little Yangtze finless porpoises were born. In order to enlarge the population size of Yangtze finless porpoises in the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin, improve the genetic diversity of Yangtze finless porpoises population reared in captivity, and optimize the gender and age structure of the population, two little Yangtze finless porpoises thus moved to live in the Aquarium of Yangtze River Dolphin under the arrangement of IHB researchers.

Porpoises in the net

B ultrasonic examination and embedded PIT in the body of Yangtze finless porpoises

Two little female Yangtze finless porpoises were reared in the net circle of Poyang Lake