Rare dolphins return to HK as virus halts ferry traffic

A rare sight: A Chinese white dolphin swimming near Hong Kong waters. — Reuters

HONG KONG: The number of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins seen around Hong Kong has jumped as the pause in high-speed ferry traffic due to the coronavirus allows the threatened species to make something of a comeback, scientists said.

Marine scientist Lindsay Porter of the University of St Andrews said the mammals – also known as Chinese white dolphins and pink dolphins – were moving back into parts of the river delta that they typically avoided due to ferries.