India's first national survey of river dolphins counted 6,327 of them. The results were released in March 2025.
The survey ran from 2021 to 2023. Teams covered about 8,500 km of river across 28 rivers in eight states, by boat and from the bank. It was led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the Wildlife Institute of India.
India has two species. The Ganges river dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, lives in the Ganga and Brahmaputra systems. The Indus river dolphin survives in India only in a short stretch of the Beas in Punjab.
River dolphins by state
Number recorded in the first Riverine Dolphin Estimation
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh share the Chambal river and were reported as one figure.
Source: MoEFCC and Wildlife Institute of India, as reported by Down To Earth and DD News
Where they live
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together hold 4,617 dolphins, 73% of the total. The Ganga and its tributaries through these two states are the heart of the range.
The Indus river dolphin is the warning sign. Only three were recorded in India. Its main population lives in Pakistan.
Why a count matters
River dolphins are nearly blind. They find food by sound, so noise from boats and dredging affects them. They also need deep pools, which dams, barrages and sand mining break up.
A first count gives India a baseline. Future surveys can now show whether numbers are rising or falling, river by river.