The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the arrival of the seventh Irrawaddy dolphin calf for 2023, which was discovered swimming in the Mekong River with a pod of eight adults on Saturday in Stung Treng province.

According to the statement from the ministry, the 20-day-old dolphin was recorded in the Tboung Kla pool which is located in Koh Chreung village, O’Mreas commune, Siem Bok district in the province.

The calf was identified by the Fisheries Administration Research and Conservation Team of the Fisheries Administration and WWF.

After detecting the calf, the team observed the activities of the pod of adult dolphins with the calf and photographed the newborn with its mother. According to the team, the calf appears to be in good health.

Irrawaddy dolphins are regarded as one of Cambodia’s national living treasures and are one of the six rarest species of freshwater dolphins remaining in the world.

The presence of dolphins, especially calves, is an indicator of the quality of fishery resources and river health measured by biodiversity and the ecosystem, which also provide resources to sustain the livelihoods of local communities through eco-tourism.

The statement added that according to data about Irrawaddy dolphins, from January to December 2021, there were six calves born and nine dolphins died.  In the same period for 2022 there were six newborn dolphins and 11 deaths, and from January to September 2023 there were seven newborn and three deaths.

Seng Teak, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Cambodia country director, said yesterday that “it is exciting news for everybody because the seventh calf of 2023 was born and the birth represents the highest number of calves in the last three years.”

He added: “More newborns are expected to come and join the population in the next few months. The future trend looks brighter and encouraging. This would not be possible without the hard work of our people on the frontline on the river such as river rangers, the provincial administrations of Stung Treng and Katie, Conservation Department and Fisheries Administration of Ministry of Agriculture, who safeguard the species day and night in their habitats”.