The Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation was established in December 1996 and is China's first foundation dedicated to the conservation of aquatic animals.

The baiji is the world's most endangered cetacean species and a national first-class protected animal in China, known as the "Goddess of the Yangtze." The foundation's conservation work also extends to the Yangtze finless porpoise. On July 5, 2005, "Taotao," the world's first Yangtze finless porpoise to be successfully bred and survive in an artificial environment, was born at the Baiji Dolpinarium. In June 2022, "Xiao Jiujiu," the daughter of "Taotao," was born at the Baiji Dolpinarium of the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences . 

In 2025, the foundation cooperated with relevant enterprises to carry out public welfare activities such as Chinese white dolphin conservation classes, and in the same year, a research team mastered artificial semen collection technology for finless porpoises and established the first sperm bank. In January 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the latest survey data, showing that the Yangtze finless porpoise population had recovered to 1,426 individuals. 

On May 22, 2026, "Xiao 26," China's first and the world's first artificially bred Yangtze finless porpoise born via "head-first delivery," was born at the Baiji Dolpinarium of the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; its mother was the meritorious porpoise "Fujiu". In June, "Xiao 26" turned one month old, and on the same day, the renovated Yangtze Cetacean Breeding and Conservation Center was officially unveiled. 

In April 2026, Wuhan officially designated the Yangtze finless porpoise as the city mascot, and "Xiao 26" was also referred to by the media as the "lucky treasure". In finless porpoise conservation, the "Yangtze Finless Porpoise Intelligent Behavior Recognition Platform" jointly built by the foundation and Huawei's TECH4ALL digital inclusion team has been put into use. In June 2026, the foundation co-organized the "2026 Xinluo Porpoise Conservation Season" event to promote collaborative management of Yangtze River protection.