The battle to save river dolphins

In need of protection: A freshwater dolphin swimming in the Mekong River in Cambodia’s Kratie province. — AFP

BULGING grey heads break the turbid waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia as a pod of rare Irrawaddy dolphins surfaces to breathe, drawing excited murmurs from tourists watching from nearby boats.

The thrilling sight may soon be no more than a memory, as numbers of the endangered mammals dwindle despite efforts to preserve them.