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 recovery plan educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people." They therefore set laws to protect endangered species. Section 4(f) of the United States Endangered Species Act from 1973 directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans to promote the conservation of endangered and threatened species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service are responsible for administering the act. The recovery plan is a document which specifies what research and management actions are necessary to support recovery, but does