A miracle in Cambodia - Mekong River registers seventh newborn rare Irrawaddy dolphin this year

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): A newborn Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin calf was spotted on Saturday, raising the total number of newborn dolphin calves in Cambodia to seven so far this year, the Fisheries Administration said in a news release.

The latest born dolphin calf was seen by a team of the Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at a dolphin pool in northeast Stung Treng province's Mekong River while it swam alongside eight adult dolphins, the news release said.

"The new calf is about 20 days old," it said.

According to the news release, seven baby dolphins have been identified so far this year, with three deaths.

The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.

The Fisheries Administration estimated that there are approximately 90 Irrawaddy dolphins in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. - Xinhua