PHNOM PENH, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- A newborn Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin was spotted on Sunday, becoming the first newborn calf recorded in the country so far this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a news release.
The latest born dolphin calf was seen at a dolphin pool in northeast Kratie province's Chetr Borei district by river guards and a research team of the Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
"This baby dolphin was seen swimming alongside a pod of six other dolphins," the news release said. "This is the first baby dolphin born in 2024."
The new calf is about two days old, it added.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.
It is estimated that there are approximately 90 Irrawaddy dolphin population living along a 180-km main channel of the Mekong River in northeast Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. ■
