Conservationists have reported that around 6,000 rare Irrawaddy dolphins, residing in the freshwater regions of Bangladesh's Sundarbans and nearby Bay of Bengal waters, form the largest population of these endangered sea mammals in the wild. The Wildlife Conservation Society unveiled this finding at the First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas in Maui, noting that previous known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins were only in the low hundreds. Dr. Steven Sanderson, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, expressed optimism about the discovery, stating that it gives hope for protecting not only the dolphins but also other endangered species and their habitats. The study was conducted by authors including Brian Smith, Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli, Samantha Strindberg from the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Benazir Ahmed from Chittagong University in Bangladesh, in an area where marine mammal research has been limited. Despite the discovery of a large population of Irrawaddy dolphins, the authors caution that these animals are facing increasing threats from accidental entanglement in fishing nets. Two dolphins were found during the study that had become entangled and drowned in fishing nets, a common occurrence reported by local fishermen. The Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, can grow up to eight feet in length and is found in large rivers, estuaries, and freshwater lagoons in South and Southeast Asia. In Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River, these dolphins are known for engaging in "cooperative fishing" with humans, where they assist fishermen by herding schools of fish towards their nets. This mutually beneficial relationship allows the dolphins to easily prey on the cornered fish and those that escape the nets as they are pulled from the water by the fishermen. In 2006, WCS assisted in creating a protected area along the Ayeyarwady River to protect the endangered mammal population. The WCS, based in New York, is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Bangladesh to establish a protected area network for Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins in the Sundarbans mangrove forest. The conservation group emphasizes the importance of funding to maintain these efforts, as well as their ongoing work to research the impact of climate change on the habitat, promote sustainable fishing practices, and create local ecotourism projects.