PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The Fisheries Administration said on Thursday that a Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin calf had been found dead in Cambodia after becoming entangled in a fisherman’s Gillnet, marking the third death of this endangered species this year.
The administration reported that the 1.01-meter-long female dolphin, which was 14.4 kg in weight and roughly two months old, was found dead on Wednesday in the Mekong River’s Muk Kampul district of Kandal province.
The dead dolphin was thought to have traveled to Kandal province during the high-water season with its mother or other dolphins from the upper stream of the Mekong River in the provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie.
The administration said, “Since the start of 2023 to date, five newborn dolphins have been reported, of which three were dead, bringing the total number of living dolphins in Cambodia to 92.”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has classified Irrawaddy dolphins as severely endangered since 2004. The northeastern provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie are home to mammals along a 180 km section of the Mekong River’s main channel. —Xinhua/APP
