A fourth newborn dolphin calf has been spotted in Kratie province, bringing the Mekong River dolphin population to 108. -- Agriculture ministry of Cambodia via Phnom Penh Post/ANN
PHNOM PENH (Phnom Penh Post/ANN): This Wednesday's discovery of a newborn Irrawaddy dolphin has brought this year’s total births to four. No deaths of the rare species have been reported in 2025.
The fourth calf was identified in between the Kampi and Chroy Banteay dolphin pools, in Kratie province’s Sambok commune of Chitrabori district, by a research team from the Fisheries Administration (FiA) and WWF Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The newborn was approximately two days old and was swimming with a pod of seven adult dolphins. Including the four calves born this year, Cambodia is currently home to 108 Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River.
According to the agriculture ministry, in 2021, six dolphins were born, but nine died.
In 2022, six calves were born, and eleven dolphins died.
In 2023, there were eight new births and only five recorded deaths.
In 2024, nine calves were born, and four died.
So far this year, four calves have been born – two in January and two in February.
The ministry expressed gratitude to the local authorities and all of the citizens involved in the conservation and protection of this valuable aquatic resource.
WWF Cambodia highlighted that the Irrawaddy dolphin, a national treasure and a critical species in Cambodia, is facing the threat of going extinct in the Mekong.
“These gentle giants face daily threats from bycatch in nets, illegal fishing and habitat loss. But together, we can change their fate,” it said.
The organisation is launching the first-ever Mekong Dolphin Swim, a daring 120km team relay swim over four days.
During the four days, they will collect deadly fishing nets, document dolphin sightings and raise funds to protect Cambodia’s critically endangered river dolphins and other coastal populations.
The public is invited offer financial support for the dolphin’s preservation, with US$30 paying for a community member’s participation in a bycatch mitigation project for one month, US$35 enough to equip river guards with safety gear like sunscreen and first aid kits and US$100 funding a river guard’s attendance at a training session. - Phnom Penh Post/ANN
