12 Animals The Human Race Tragically Killed Off

11. Yangtze River Dolphin (Extinct 2006)

Yangtze River Dolphin
nature.org

The Yangtze River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), or "Baiji", was a freshwater dolphin that was found solely in the Yangtze River in China.

Nicknamed the "Goddess of the Yangtze", this unique type of freshwater dolphin was hunted during the period of The Great Leap Forward in China, and it also suffered from the pollution in the river caused by a combination of fishing, hydroelectricity, boats and industrial waste. Despite late efforts to save the Baiji, in 2006 an expedition along the Yangtze River failed to discover any and it was declared extinct.

Interestingly, in August 2007 a Chinese man did record a video of what appeared to be a baiji - but the presence of only one or a few of a species is not enough to remove it from the "officially extinct" category.

 
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NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.