Kratie Province Recently Welcomes Two More Baby Dolphins Into The Pack

Kratie─ Good news! Apparently, it has been reported that two Irrawaddy dolphin calves were recently born, increasing its rare populations in Kratie Province, Cambodia.

According to WWF-Cambodia’s post, the Irrawaddy dolphins are now three weeks old, and one of them was seen swimming happily with its mother in Sambo district.

Irrawaddy dolphin is actually a small and shy dolphin with a dark grey color, a paler underside, a small rounded dorsal fin and a bluntly rounded head. Moreover, it can weigh up to 150kg, with the length of 2.75m, and tend to live in groups. It has been known that Irrawaddy dolphins are inhabiting the Mekong River between Kratie, Cambodia and Khone Falls on the border with Laos and they have been identified as a flagship species for the conservation of Mekong River by WWF, due to their minimum habitat requirements, in which reflects the healthy ecosystem and high biodiversity of Mekong River.

Their population has been declining greatly for the past decades, and based on the latest population survey, there are only 80 Irrawaddy dolphins that inhabit the Mekong River. Besides being listed as vulnerable species, Irrawaddy dolphins are also classified as critically endangered in Cambodia.

“We will be monitoring them closely during these crucial first few months and we wish them the best of luck!”─ WWF-Cambodia.

Two Irrawaddy dolphin calves were recently born in Mekong River, Kratie province, Cambodia