Canadian researchers are celebrating after their DNA work enabled the IUCN to declare a group of pink dolphins ‘critically endangered’.

Although the headline on the press release – Rare Pink Dolphins Deemed Critically Endangered Thanks to Trent Scientists – had me thinking they had been personally driving the pink-things to extinction this is actually a good news story.

Work by John Wang of Trent University in Ontario has established that the population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins off the west coast of Taiwan are a distinct population and thus should be classified as critically endangered on the IUCN’s red list (which they were in August).

“Taiwan’s humpback dolphins have been listed as Critically Endangered because this distinct, isolated population is already dangerously small (less than 100), faces multiple serious threats, and will likely be driven to extinction if effective conservation measures are not taken quickly,” says William Perrin, says, chair of the IUCN’s Cetacean Red List Authority.

The move will force the Taiwanese government to consider the impact of industry on the dolphins, says fellow researcher Brad White.

“Because they are a charismatic animal and very cute, they are becoming the focus of an environmental movement,” he told the Vancouver Sun. “If this animal is dying out on the coast, it indicates a low-quality environment with pollution. They are [Great Beyond eco-cliché warning] the canary in the coal mine of Taiwan.”

Trent University says the dolphins were added to the red list on August 12 but their current Red List-listing still has them as ‘data deficient’ (ie: no category). The next official Red List update comes on October 6.

More info: Save the Taiwan Humpback Dolphins blog

Image: Trent University