Rani’s boatman of Chaprakhali refuses to go to Kochikhali at all. Late April. At this time, the intensity of the coastal wind increases, along with the blackening of the northern sky, Kalbaisakhi arrives. As a result, no launch wants to go to South Sundarban at this time. Montu Mia, the boatman of Rani, a private organization Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh’s research boat Chaprakhali, has vowed not to go to Kochikhali. Finally Supati agreed to go.

I left early in the morning with the guard from Chandpai office. The boat stopped at the jetty of Supati station in the evening to see the forests. It was nice to get off the boat after a long day and walk around the jetty office. There are hundreds of memories with the Supati Forest Station, no other office in the Sundarbans has the same.

I never went to the Sundarbans and swam and bathed in the small pond south of the Supati office. Chimcham Pond, Shanbandhano Ghat, Sundari deep forest to the banks of the pond on the east and south sides. As soon as you step into the water, you will be surrounded by small fish. And coming to the southeast corner, the tiger drinks water regularly. As a result, one has to keep an eye on the forest while bathing. Still, bathing in the cold water of the pond on a hot day refreshes the body and mind.

Spent the night at Supati Jetty. The next morning we went out to the Badamtala canal with the sampan. Survey work on wild animals of Sundarbans. About 200 meters from the jetty, a pair of dolphins suddenly floated in the water of the Supati canal. One looks light purple, the other pink. Some go away, resurface. The back floats gently and the small nose on the back takes oxygen and sinks back into the water. From the mouth of the Supati Canal, it proceeds towards the Dudhmukhi Canal. The pace is quite slow. Not chasing prey, that’s for sure. Sometimes he is killing, getting drunk, seems to be in love. Seeing them in the morning, my heart danced with happiness. They are the beautiful pink dolphins of the Sundarbans. English name is Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

The pink dolphin is very beautiful. It is known as white dolphin in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and China. The body has a variety of colors—gray, pink, or a combination of the two. Sometimes it is white or light purple. Their color is pink due to extra blood vessels under the skin to regulate body temperature. Such dolphins are especially common in the coastal areas of China and Thailand. Their body is strong, long, long beak in front of the head. Dorsal fins are curved in front and back. Flat up and down like a tail book. Can be up to 12 feet tall. And weight can be maximum 230 kg.

They are aquatic mammals. It rises to the surface of the water every few minutes to breathe, takes oxygen from the air and dives again. But can stay up to 8 minutes continuously by diving deep. When they give birth, the mother dolphin nurses the baby. How to give birth deep in the water, how to make the baby self-sufficient by breastfeeding, how skilled these dolphin mothers are!

Pink dolphins move in small groups, not more than 10 in number. Being in a group helps to catch prey. Rarely found in coastal brackish waters of Bangladesh. It is occasionally seen in the Sundarbans estuaries. Their main food is fish, octopus, squid. Fishermen get caught in fishing nets and die. There is not much research on such rare animals of Sundarbans, hence our knowledge about them is lacking.

Author: Professor, Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University