The iconic Chinese animals heading for extinction

Endangered and nearly extinct species lists continue to grow as the world engages in recreational killing, poaching, civil unrest and habitat destruction.

China and Asia at large have seen an uptick in the number of animals whose continued existence is in doubt. This week City Weekend explores the creatures close to home who survive in peril and asks how and why we have neglected the animals we should be trying our hardest to protect. While this short list by no means covers every animal, these are some of Asia’s most critically endangered.

Chinese white dolphin

The Chinese white dolphin, found in the waters around Hong Kong’s Pearl River estuary, is a unique white, or light pink. The mammal, a subspecies of the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin, was the mascot for Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China in 1997. However, despite its symbolic significance to the city, the white dolphin population continues to drop as coastal development, overfishing, water pollution and intense marine traffic threaten its existence. As of June last year there were only 47 white dolphins left in Hong Kong waters, with calf numbers also dropping to their lowest, at 17. The Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society has called for a marine park to be constructed on the southwest shores of Lantau Island to try and arrest their almost uncontrollable decline.