Maui's dolphin under threat
THE WORLD'S smallest dolphin species will go extinct in the next 15 years if proper conservation efforts are not carried out, warns a new research. Just 50 Maui's dolphins, a subspecies of Hector's dolphins that is endemic to New Zealand, remain in the world today, according to the study. Barbara Maas, who headed the research done at the NABU International Nature Conservation Foundation in Berlin, said that out of the 50 just 10-12 are adult female. She warned that unless the level of fisheries protection was increased significantly, the dolphins could become extinct in just 15 years.
