Cambodia registers 4th newborn rare Mekong dolphin in 2026

PHNOM PENH, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A Mekong Irrawaddy baby dolphin has been sighted, bringing the number of newborn dolphins in Cambodia to four so far this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) said in a news release on Sunday.

The new calf was spotted on Saturday afternoon at the Koh Santuk dolphin pool in northeast Stung Treng province's Siem Bouk district by a research team of the Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Of the four baby dolphins born in 2026, three were spotted in Kratie province and one in Stung Treng province, the news release said.

"With the new arrival of this calf, the total number of Mekong River dolphins in Cambodia has reached 116," 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.

These aquatic mammals currently live along a 120-km main channel of the Mekong River in northeast Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, according to the MAFF.

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