PHNOM PENH, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has welcomed a newborn Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin, raising the total number of newborn dolphin calves to five so far this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) said in a news release on Saturday.
The latest born dolphin calf was spotted by the river guards and tourist boat operators on Friday at the Kampi dolphin pool in northeast Kratie province's Mekong River while swimming alongside nine adult dolphins, the news release said.
The new calf was about 10 days old, it said.
According to the news release, six dolphin calves were recorded in 2022, and the same number was also reported in 2021.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.
The Fisheries Administration estimated that there are approximately 90 Irrawaddy dolphin populations in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong River in the Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. ■
