White Fin dolphins have been swimming up and down China’s longest river, the mighty Yangtze, for some 20 million years. But no more. A few short years of breakneck development, over-fishing and a massive rise in shipping have meant sightings of the shy creatures, or ‘baijis’ have become very infrequent. A recent expedition failed to spot a single one, and conservationists fear the near-blind cetacean has gone for good. ‘We have to accept the fact that the baiji is extinct. It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world,’ said August Pfluger, joint leader of the expedition. Chinese scientists say the search will continue for baijis, which were once worshipped in China as goddesses. Already listed as one of the 12 most endangered species in the world, there were still 400 white-fin dolphins alive during the 1980s, but that number dropped alarmingly to less than 150 in the last decade. A survey in 1997 listed just 13 sightings, with the last confirmed sighting in 2004. The last baiji in captivity, Qi Qi, died in 2002. (© Independent News Service)