A six week search of the Yangtze River in China proved fruitless for scientists searching for signs of the baiji, also known as the white dolphin. It has been declared the first large mammal to become extinct in modern times.

August Pfluger, the Swiss co-leader of the joint Chinese-foreign expedition and founder of Baiji.org, blamed apathy for his foundation's inability to raise sufficient funds to counteract the environmental impact of overfishing and shipping traffic.

There's the possibility that the dolphin is still to be found in eastern China, but it won't be in the numbers needed for a sustainable population. Even if scientists were able to find a pair to breed in captivity, there must be sufficient genetic diversity in order to maintain a healthy group.

The Baiji.org Foundation will now turn its efforts to the conservation of other freshwater dolphin species, such as the Yangtze finless porpoise.

Unfortunately, it's likely this won't be the last extinction we see in our lifetimes.