Eight newborn rare dolphins recorded in Cambodia so far this year

dolphins

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): A newborn Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin calf was spotted on Saturday, bringing the total number of newborn dolphin calves in Cambodia to eight so far this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

The new calf was seen by a tourist boat operator on Saturday afternoon at the Kampi dolphin pool in northeast Kratie province's Mekong River while swimming alongside six adult dolphins, the ministry said in a statement.

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

According to the ministry, six dolphin calves were recorded in 2022, and the same number was also reported in 2021.

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.

It is estimated that there is an Irrawaddy dolphin population of about 90 individuals living along a 180-km main channel of the Mekong River in northeast Cambodia's Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. - Xinhua