PHNOM PENH, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has welcomed a newborn Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin, bringing the total number of newborn dolphin calves to six so far this year, the Fisheries Administration said in a news release on Wednesday.
The latest born dolphin calf was spotted by tourist boat operators on Monday at the Kampi dolphin pool in northeast Kratie province's Mekong River while swimming alongside seven adult dolphins, the news release said.
"The new calf is about two weeks 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 (IUCN) 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. ■