A newborn dolphin has been found at Koh Preah village, Koh Preah commune, Siem Bok district, Stung Treng province, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in a news release yesterday.
This is the third dolphin calf recorded in 2023, MAFF underlined, adding that it was spotted in the afternoon of April 25 swimming along with two adult dolphins.
The newborn dolphin is estimated to be only one week old, according to the research team of Kratie and Stung Treng provincial fisheries cantonments and WWF.
Last year, six dolphin calves have been registered, the same number as in 2021.
The Mekong’s Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
On Feb. 27, 2023, Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen signed a sub-decree to create a dolphin conservation and protection zones stretching for 120 kilometres along the Mekong River in the Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse