A true glimpse in the Yangtze river?

Conservationists world over have great reason to rejoice.

The ‘baiji’ dolphin, which was China’s species of the friendly mammal, was earlier reported extinct.

However, known as the ‘goddess of the Yangtze,’ this dolphin could have re-populated, thus returning back to life.

This has been reported by an amateur expedition team, which claim they caught a glimpse of the baiji dolphin in the Yangtze river during October this year.

They are absolutely certain it was the baiji dolphin they spotted while on the expedition, and claim that it was no mistake.

This is great news for wildlife enthusiasts, as the baiji dolphin was declared extinct way back in 2006. Before that, the baiji had graced the Yangtze river for 20 million years. That’s why, it was a great blow to conservationists.

However, as the amateur expedition to the Yangtze river spotted the baiji on October 4th this year, there is new hope for the mammal. Song Qi, leader of the river expedition shared his experience, “No other creature could jump out of the Yangtze like that. All the eyewitnesses – which include fishermen – felt certain that it was a baiji.”

Here’s a video of the baiji dolphin, when it was reported as extinct last decade:

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Here’s what people on social media have to say about this amazing new discovery:

It is true that nature is very resilient, and if it’s true that the baiji dolphin is spotted, it is a great victory for mother nature! While these reports are still under scrutiny, we have our fingers crossed.

Image credit: Nick Ares/flickr