Conservationists have reported that around 6,000 rare Irrawaddy dolphins, residing in the freshwater regions of Bangladesh's Sundarbans and neighboring Bay of Bengal waters, constitute the largest population of these endangered sea mammals in their natural habitat. The Wildlife Conservation Society made this announcement at the First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas in Maui, revealing that previous estimates had only identified a few hundred Irrawaddy dolphins. Dr. Steven Sanderson, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, expressed optimism about protecting the species and their habitats, emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts for various marine animals. The study was conducted by researchers Brian Smith, Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli, and Samantha Strindberg from the Wildlife Conservation Society, along with Benazir Ahmed from Chittagong University in Bangladesh, in an area where marine mammal research has been limited. Even though a significant population of Irrawaddy dolphins has been discovered, the authors caution that these dolphins are facing a growing threat of accidental entanglement in fishing nets. Two dolphins were found during the study that had become trapped and drowned in fishing nets, a common occurrence as reported by local fishermen. The Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as Orcaella brevirostris, can grow up to eight feet and is found in large rivers, estuaries, and freshwater lagoons in South and Southeast Asia. In Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River, these dolphins are famous for their "cooperative fishing" behavior with humans, where they help fishermen by herding schools of fish towards fishing boats and nets, increasing the fishermen's catches. The dolphins benefit from this relationship by easily catching the cornered fish and those that escape from the nets as the fishermen pull them out of the water. In 2006, WCS played a role in creating a protected area along the Ayeyarwady River to protect the endangered mammal population. The New York-based WCS is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Bangladesh to establish a network of protected areas for both Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins in the Sundarbans mangrove forest. The conservation group emphasizes the importance of funding to continue these efforts, as well as their long-term goals of studying the impact of climate change on the habitat, promoting sustainable fishing practices, and creating local ecotourism projects.