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,
Indian softshell turtle short perpendicular process at the symphysis; the diameter of the mandible at the symphysis does not exceed the diameter of the orbit. Olive above; back of young vermiculated with fine black lines, but without ocelli; head with a black longitudinal streak from between the eyes to the nape, intersected by two or three inverted-V shaped black streaks; lower parts yellowish. Length of dorsal disk 2 feet. These turtles are often maintained in the temple ponds of Orissa where they are considered sacred. Indian softshell turtle The Indian softshell turtle ("Nilssonia gangetica"), or Ganges softshell turtle is a species of softshell