The Irrawaddy dolphin is listed by the IUCN as vulnerable.  But surveys conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Chittagong University in Bangladesh have given biologists hope.  The surveys estimate that a population of 6000 live around the coast of Bangladesh –  a number far higher than expected.

Still, scientists warn that there are still threats to the dolphins’ survival such as entanglement in fishing nets and changes in water flows due to damming the river.

For more info: New York Times