On February 16th, the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River was fished by many parties to rescue a finless porpoise with a tail injury, which touched everyone’s heart. After 6 days of treatment, on February 23, the Nanjing Yangtze finless porpoise provincial nature reserve management station of Nanjing Greening and Landscape Bureau reported the latest treatment of the injured porpoise in Nanjing Underwater World. The reporter was informed that the injured dolphin has opened its mouth to eat, its body surface wound has healed obviously, and lung inflammation has been initially controlled. Next, it will enter the second stage of drug administration and will be reviewed 10 days later. This is the first successful fishing case in China for the active search and rescue of wild injured finless porpoises in the main stream of the Yangtze River.
On the second day of February 11th, a finless porpoise, whose tail was entangled with silk thread and weeds, was found by the finless porpoise rescue monitoring personnel, the citizens and photographers on the shore in the waters of Changjiang Smile Station in Gulou. After two days of tracking and locking its position on the water shore, on the morning of February 16, organized by Nanjing Yangtze finless porpoise provincial nature reserve management station, Nanjing Agriculture and Rural Bureau, maritime affairs, marine police, Changhang and other departments joined forces to round up the injured porpoise ashore at 11: 15 and urgently sent it to Nanjing Underwater World for treatment.
Nanjing Daily/Purple Mountain News reporter Duan Renhu photo
The injured dolphin caught ashore is 1.36 meters long and weighs 37 kilograms. It is a female finless porpoise of about 5 years old. The silk thread and aquatic plants wrapped around its tail are embedded in the deepest part of the body up to 5-6 cm, and five other hyperplastic tissues grow on the body surface, the largest of which is half the size of an adult fist. After wound disinfection, routine physical examination, B-ultrasound and X-ray examination, on February 17th, the injured dolphin was diagnosed as trauma+lung infection. "The tail and tail stalk of the injured dolphin are seriously infected due to entanglement of sundries, and its lung infection is also serious. There is abscess in the left lung and hydrops in the right lung." Liu Kai, a researcher at the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences who is in charge of the search and rescue, said.
The finless porpoise was put into the temporary rearing pond of Nanjing Underwater World at 12: 40 on February 16th, and was treated by an experienced team of veterinarians and experts, including Nanjing Underwater World, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, AMC Hexi Center Animal Hospital, Institute of Aquatic Sciences of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, etc. The treatment mainly started from three aspects: anti-infection, hemostasis and nutrition supplement.
Nanjing Daily/Purple Mountain News reporter Duan Renhu photo
Zhang Ruizhong, a first-class researcher of Nanjing Greening and Landscape Bureau, said that after the first stage of treatment and nursing, combined with the results of follow-up visits and comprehensive evaluation of animal status, the behavioral characteristics of the injured finless porpoise are normal, and the eating has gradually recovered and is basically stable; Body surface infection and lung inflammation were initially controlled, and the condition improved. However, blood test indicators suggest that infection still exists and further treatment and nursing are needed.
Yangtze finless porpoise is a national first-class protected wild animal, endemic to China, and the only surviving cetacean in the Yangtze River. In recent years, the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government has thoroughly implemented the supreme leader’s thought of ecological civilization, and attached great importance to the protection of the Yangtze River and the Yangtze finless porpoise. The protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise has received the attention, support, care and concern of relevant departments and units, all walks of life and the general public. Nanjing has also become the only big city in China that can watch the Yangtze finless porpoise at close range in the central section of the city, which has become an important reason and condition for the injured finless porpoise to be discovered and rescued at the first time.
Nanjing Daily/Purple Mountain News reporter Duan Renhu photo
Zhang Ruizhong introduced that in the next step, the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Greening and Landscape Architecture will actively coordinate relevant departments and social forces, vigorously support the work of expert treatment teams, and strive for a good treatment effect. Because the injured finless porpoise is still in the critical period of treatment, it is necessary to minimize unnecessary human interference, ensure sufficient time and energy for the rescue work of the experts of the treatment team, and create a quiet and suitable treatment environment for the injured finless porpoise. Relevant treatment progress will be reported regularly.
Nanjing Daily/Purple Mountain Journalist Sun Lin Jonathan Li