Did you know that India has a national aquatic animal Or that the river Ganga is home to them&mdashthe river dolphins, each of which are approximately 2.5m in length and brown-grey in colour The Ganges River Dolphin, however, has quickly fallen into the endangered category, with loss of habitat being its biggest cause of depletion. Factors such as the building of dams, deforestation, pollution, etc. have also contributed to its dwindling numbers, less than 2000 in India itself, as per WWF.
Now here comes the happy news. Asia&rsquos first National Dolphin Research Centre is being set up in India, in an attempt to gauge and tackle the problem. The research centre, which has been a work in progress for six years, is set to open soon, according to reports, although the date remains unannounced. The NDRC would be built in Patna University on the banks of the Ganga.  The centre would be constructed at an estimated cost of @INR 28 crores.
The centre will help increase efforts of conservation of the Ganges River Dolphins, while carrying out important research needed to facilitate it. According to reports, an observatory would be built as well for visitors to watch the river dolphins.
