The decision to designate National Dolphin Day was taken by the Standing Committee of the 'National Board for Wildlife' (NBWL).
The purpose of this day is to create awareness and promote community participation for the conservation of all types of dolphins found in India, including the Ganges dolphin. It is noteworthy that in the year 2009, 'Ganges Dolphin' was recognized as 'National Aquatic Animal' by the Government of India.
The Ganges Dolphin is an indicator species whose status reflects the overall condition of the Ganges ecosystem, which is known to be highly sensitive to the changes in water quality and flow.
It is classified as 'endangered' in the 'International Union for Conservation of Nature' (IUCN) Red List. The global population of this species is about 4,000 and about 80% are found in the Indian subcontinent.
