Patna, Dec 12 (IANS): A Gangetic Dolphin, an endangered species, was found dead near the NIT ghat here on Saturday, an official said.

"A Gangetic Dolphin suspected to have died after trapped in fishing net, was found floating in river Ganga NIT ghat in Patna," a district forest official said

He said the dolphin had a length of four feet and its weight was around 40 kg.

"We are probing the cause of its death and are waiting for the postmortem report," he said.

According to experts, it is not an isolated case, and the he dolphins are often found dead as they killed for their skin and oil and also because of the high demand for their meat and fat.

Despite a Patna High Court order in 2011, that asked the state government to check poaching, dolphins are still being killed.

In 1996, freshwater dolphins - locally known as "sons of the river" - were categorised as endangered species.

Experts estimate that currently, the number of these dolphins are between 2,000-2,500. 

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, in the 80s, there were around 3,500 in the Ganges delta.