South Asian river dolphin May 2013 India's Ministry of Environment and Forests declared dolphins ‘non-human persons’ and as such has forbidden their captivity for entertainment purposes; keeping dolphins in captivity must satisfy certain legal prerequisites. South Asian river dolphin The South Asian river dolphin ("Platanista gangetica") is an endangered freshwater or river dolphin found in the region of South Asia which is split into two subspecies, the Ganges river dolphin ("P. g. gangetica")(~3,500 individuals) and the Indus river dolphin ("P. g. minor")(~1,500 individuals). The Ganges river dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in Bangladesh, India and Nepal,
Endangered species suggests a positive relationship between human activity and species endangerment. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the United States, species may be listed as "endangered" or "threatened". The Salt Creek tiger beetle ("Cicindela nevadica lincolniana") is an example of an endangered subspecies protected under the ESA. The US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the National Marine Fisheries Service are held responsible for classifying and protecting endangered species, and adding a particular species to the list can be a long, controversial process (Wilcove & Master, 2008, p. 414). Some endangered species laws are controversial. Typical areas of