Guwahati Makes the Gangetic Dolphin Its City Mascot

Guwahati is the first city in the country to have its own City Animal.

Only 2,500 to 3,000 Gangetic dolphins are estimated to be left. (Photo: Francois Xavier Pelletier/WWF Canon)

Guwahati became the first city in the country to have its own city animal. Kamrup Metropolitan district administration declared the Gangetic River Dolphin the city’s mascot.

The animal, locally known as ‘Sihu’, will be the ‘City Animal’ of Guwahati.

M Angamuthu, Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner

The district administration had organised online and offline voting among three protected creatures: the Gangetic River Dolphin, the Black Softshell Turtle (Bor Kaso) and the Greater Adjutant Stork (Hargila) to decide the mascot. All three animals are on the verge of extinction.

Greater Adjutant Stork (Hargila) (Photo Courtesy: Bikash Kalita)

While less than 2,000 Gangetic River Dolphins remain in the Brahmaputra along Guwahati, a recent survey said only a small population of Black Softshell Turtle were found in the river and its tributaries.

The number of Greater Adjutant Stork is less than 1,200 in and around the state capital.

Black Softshell Turtle (Bor Kaso) (Photo: Twitter)

The three-month long voting process attracted 60,003 participants to decide the City Animal and Gangetic River Dolphin received 24,247 votes. While Greater Adjutant Stork got 18,454 votes, Black Softshell Turtle was the choice of 17,302 people.

In the offline voting, 76 schools and colleges across Guwahati participated.

Along with the Kamrup Metropolitan district administration, other organisations such as the Assam Forest Department, the Assam State Biodiversity Board and an NGO, Help Earth, worked closely to come to a consensus.

(With PTI inputs)