In search of Chilika's Irrawaddy dolphins
'Will we see the Irrawaddy dolphins?' This is the first question I ask our boatman Sanjay Das. 'If we are lucky,' he replies in Odia, that our guide and in-house naturalist Karan Giri from Rambha Palace, translates. Dawn has just broken over the Chilika Lake. The boat-ride, organised for guests at the boutique hotel, takes off from Rambha in Ganjam district.
As Sanjay manoeuvres the boat into the water with a stick-like oar, a flock of black-tailed godwits searches the sludgy shores nearby for food, their long legs aiding them in the task. A pied kingfisher swoops into the water, and we also see the majestic Brahminy kite perched atop a pole. More birds make their appearance — such as the Indian spot-billed duck, grey-headed swamphen, and whiskered tern — and soon enough, I realise Chilika is not just about the dolphins.
'It is a haven for birds, some of them resident, while some are visitors who stop by seasonally along their migratory route,' points out Karan. With no other boat as far as the eye can see, that morning, it is just us, the lake, and the occasional bird that flies past.
Suddenly, Sanjay slows down, pointing towards movement in the water some distance away. To the untrained eye, it appears like a series of ripples on the surface. I see nothing, but the others in the boat are excited; Karan readies his camera. The trick is to take a deep breath, calm down, and observe. And when I do, I see them: a lightning flash of two grey fins that emerge, then disappear. It is a pod of Irrawaddy dolphins. The pod, that Sanjay says has around three to four animals, swims at a brisk pace, treating us to a vision of their fins and a glimpse of their upper body a few more times. They then disappear into the water.
The elusive Irrawaddy dolphins, unlike their more flamboyant bottle-nosed counterparts, are shy animals. Highly-endangered, they have a rounded nose and are related to killer whales.
Wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri documented them for his film, Chilika - Jewel of Odisha, which was commissioned by the Chilika Development Authority. The film, available on YouTube, depicts the importance of Chilika, which, at nearly 1000 sq km, is India's largest brackish water lake, and Asia's second largest.
'The film highlights Chilika's beauty, biodiversity, and conservation challenges,' explains Shekar, who shot the film in 2013. His team spent over 45 days at Chilika, filming birds, crabs, and the people who depend on the lake for their livelihood.
The 20-minute film also features the rare Irrawaddy dolphins and shows how they are impacted by uncontrolled dolphin tourism. 'When you mention dolphins, most people think of bottle-nosed dolphins and their acrobatics,' says Shekar. 'Irrawaddy dolphins, however, are very shy. All you get to see most of the time is just the dorsal fin or the tail. They don't jump out of the water much,' he says, adding that it was quite challenging to film them.
Their elusive nature, according to Samir Kumar Sinha, chief ecologist with the Wildlife Trust of India, also limits scientists from comprehensively studying them. 'Irrawaddy dolphins, like other dolphin species, surface to inhale oxygen approximately every 2.5 minutes at most. For the remainder of the time, they stay underwater — feeding, moving, or interacting with other individuals. Their surfacing is very quiet, often without noticeable splashes, making them difficult to detect. Additionally, their underwater behaviour is challenging to observe,' he says, adding that they are found in the Chilika lagoon throughout the year.
Excessive tourism at the lake, especially at Satapada in the south-eastern part of the lagoon, is disturbing the gentle animals. In his film, Shekar shows how noisy boat engines and boat-operators chasing the animals relentlessly, poses serious threats. Samir Kumar says that in order to protect the dolphins and their habitat, 'boats should operate in accordance with the guidelines issued by the authorities'.
Shekar has also written a picture book titled Ira the Little Dolphin, published by Tulika, to introduce the little-known species to children. It has some charming photos of the dolphins doing back flips as well as them standing erect on the water to check out their surroundings.
'We must take care of Chilika so that its dolphins, birds, and people can have a peaceful life,' reads the last line in the book. As we hop off the boat, with the dolphins behind us, it is this thought that Sanjay, our boatman, echoes. 'We keep our distance from them so that they are able to live in peace,' he says. Only a few minutes ago, he refused to move the boat even an inch closer to the dolphins once they came into view. He waited till they swam away before turning on his boat's rackety engine.
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