According to the baiji.org Foundation, a group of scientists dedicated to freshwater conservation efforts along the Yangtze, the fate of the delicate dolphin is attributable to the destruction of its habitat, illegal fishing and collisions with ships. The baiji is the first large mammal brought to the brink of extinction as a result of human destruction of its natural habitat and resources.

At the beginning of the 1980s the Yangtze still had around 400 baiji cavorting in its waters. However, the river dolphin became a victim of China's rapidly growing economy. A 1997 survey showed 13 confirmed sightings. The last confirmed sighting of a baiji was in September 2004.

The baiji was for more than 20 years among the most disputed conservation issues between Chinese and Western scientists. Particularly in the 1990s there were endless arguments and disputes about strategies for saving the species: whether to leave them in their natural habitat or capture and move them to a safe place, such as the reserve at the Tianezhou(5¥Œ) "oxbow" section of the river. "Now we do not have to discuss this any longer. We have lost the race. The baiji has gone," said Pfluger.

The Tianezhou(5¥Œ) reserve now is used to preserve the dwindling Yangtze finless porpoise, which is a cousin of the baiji and also is in danger. "The situation of the finless porpoise is just like that of the baiji 20 years ago," said Wang, the Chinese scientist. "Their numbers are declining at an alarming rate. If we do not act soon they will become a second baiji."

Some 30 finless porpoises live in the reserve currently, and the number is increasing by one or two annually. The finless porpoise can be regarded as the model for the preservation of the baiji. If the finless porpoise can breed in this reserve, so can the baiji, scientists say.

There are four sections of the main Yangtze channel where baiji are actively protected and where fishing is completely banned. A fifth protection area is the reserve at Tianezhou(5¥Œ), an isolated oxbow lake located off the north bank of the river near Shishou City. The total protected area covers just over 350 km of the baiji's natural range. This means that two thirds of the species habitat is unprotected.

Not all conservation biologists agree that the relocation strategy will increase the survival prospects for this species and would prefer to see the dolphin protected in its natural environment. However, Chinese scientists believe that, given the intractable nature of the threats to the baiji, it is impossible to improve the situation in the main river in sufficient time to ensure the species' survival. They have therefore concluded that relocation conservation is the best option for saving the dolphin.

Some challenges

Too little is known about the baiji's natural behavior, population size and remaining habitats to allow conservationists to protect the species effectively.

Rounding up the last survivors and moving them to the safety of the Tianezhou(5¥Œ) reserve could be the best hope for the species' survival but only on the premise that baiji can be found and captured, which has proven to be an elusive prospect, based on the recent expedition.

In addition, while China's economy is booming, its investment in protecting its freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity has not kept pace. There had been no baiji surveys in the last six years.

"It's an awkward situation facing China's aquatic organism protection," said Hu Huiliang, who is in charge of the Tianezhou(5¥Œ) reserve.

"The operating cost for our reserve is at least 100,000 yuan a year, one third of which comes from fishing. But it takes almost 100,000 kg of fish every year to feed the 30 finless porpoises here, which is something the local fishermen don't want to see," said Hu.

"Protection of land animals is managed by the forestry departments, which is in line with protecting the forests, but it's not the same case in aquatic organism protection, controlled by the agricultural sectors which no doubt want more production. There's a conflict of interest between the two," another official at the reserve commented.

According to Zhang Xianfeng, a Chinese hydrobiologist, the baiji is at the top of the food chain, so it is quite sensitive to changes in the environment. "In essence, to protect the baiji is to protect the environment where we human beings live," he said.

Though the outcome of the expedition seems dispiriting, Pfluger still maintains a bit of faith about the survival of the species. "Hope dies last," he said.