‘Molly’, Hong Kong Ocean Park’s oldest male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, dies aged 40

The oldest male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has died at the age of 40.

The theme park said Molly became weak on New Year’s Eve and died on Thursday, despite round-the-clock care from its veterinary and animal care team.

“Molly, like our other dolphins, played a vital role as an ambassador at Ocean Park and resided in the Marine Mammal Breeding and Research Centre next to the Ocean Park Veterinary Centre,” it said.

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The popular park, in Hong Kong’s Southern district, said a necropsy was being carried out to determine the exact cause of Molly’s death, adding that bottlenose dolphins entered their senior years at age 40.

In April, the attraction also lost an 18-year-old female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Dumisa. The mammal, which arrived in the city from South Africa in 2009, required advanced dental care and eventually died of complications.

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In July 2022, An An, the world’s oldest male giant panda in captivity, was put down at Ocean Park after the 35-year-old – the equivalent of 105 human years – refused solid food, drinking only water or liquids fortified with electrolytes.

As of June 30 last year, the park had 6,515 animals in its care.

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