Yangtze Finless Porpoise Run marks decade of successful finless porpoise protection
2023-10-31 18:10:28
Editor & Translator: Chen Zai, Yichang Three Gorges International Communication Studio
Photographer: Xia Junjun
News Source: Changjiang Daily
On October 28, 100 runners from cities along the Yangtze River embarked on a 12.49-km run to commemorate the "Yangtze Finless Porpoise Run" 10 years ago. In 2013, runners ran over 1,000 km to raise awareness about the need to protect the Yangtze finless porpoise. This year’s runners are from various cities along the Yangtze River, including Wuhan, Huangshi, Yichang, Jingzhou, Jiujiang, and Ma'anshan.
In October 2013, two groups from the Huangshi Finless Porpoise Long Distance Running Team set off – one from Hubei's Yichang City and another from Huangshi City – to run down the Yangtze River through Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Shanghai where the Yangtze River runs into the sea. This purpose of the activity was to raise public awareness about the need to protect finless porpoises. The run covered a distance of over 1,000 kilometers and had a significant societal impact.
In the decade following that first run, the protection level of the Yangtze finless porpoise was upgraded from National Class 2 Key Protected Wild Animals to Class 1, and the species began to recover. According to 2022 data, there are now 1,249 finless porpoises, an increase of 23 percent since 2017 when the previous headcount was done.
The 1,249 figure prompted the organizers to fix a distance of 12.49-kilometers for this year’s run.
Photographer: Xia Junjun
News Source: Changjiang Daily
On October 28, 100 runners from cities along the Yangtze River embarked on a 12.49-km run to commemorate the "Yangtze Finless Porpoise Run" 10 years ago. In 2013, runners ran over 1,000 km to raise awareness about the need to protect the Yangtze finless porpoise. This year’s runners are from various cities along the Yangtze River, including Wuhan, Huangshi, Yichang, Jingzhou, Jiujiang, and Ma'anshan.
In October 2013, two groups from the Huangshi Finless Porpoise Long Distance Running Team set off – one from Hubei's Yichang City and another from Huangshi City – to run down the Yangtze River through Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Shanghai where the Yangtze River runs into the sea. This purpose of the activity was to raise public awareness about the need to protect finless porpoises. The run covered a distance of over 1,000 kilometers and had a significant societal impact.
In the decade following that first run, the protection level of the Yangtze finless porpoise was upgraded from National Class 2 Key Protected Wild Animals to Class 1, and the species began to recover. According to 2022 data, there are now 1,249 finless porpoises, an increase of 23 percent since 2017 when the previous headcount was done.
The 1,249 figure prompted the organizers to fix a distance of 12.49-kilometers for this year’s run.
