Dolphins and porpoises, with their playful antics, sociability and cute looks, have to be one of the world’s best-loved animals. They are, of course, intimately associated with the world’s oceans, so it can come as a surprise to many to learn that there are a number of species of dolphins and porpoises living in rivers hundreds of kilometres from the nearest salty water. Naturally shy creatures, the world’s river dolphins and porpoises are far less known and understood than their marine cousins, but one thing that scientists are unanimous in their agreement on is that they are in serious peril. It’s thought that since the 1980s, the combined population of the world’s river dolphins has crashed by 73 percent. Living in the rivers of fourteen countries (Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru and Venezuela), there are six species of river dolphin and porpoise. And, as a keystone species, their presence helps to keep a river system healthy.