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Young World
Humpbacks bounce back
COMPILED BY SUBAJAYANTHI
The number of humpbacks in the oceans has increased, according to IUCN, a global conservation body. However, it warns that smaller species, including river dolphins, have declined as a result of human actions. The IUCN added that it was unable to assess more than half of the world’s cetaceans because of a lack of data. The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) was another species that was deemed no longer at risk of extinction. Both animals had recorded increased numbers across much of their range, primarily because they had been protected from commercial whaling. Humpbacks have really shown an ability to recover strongly from extremely intensive hunting. However, recoveries needed to be measured over a timescale of decades. It takes a while for conservationists to build up the confidence that it is a real signal of recovery and not a short-term variation.
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