A male Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin calf was found dead in Saob commune, Prek Prasab district, Kratie northeastern province on April 19.
According to the Fisheries Administration’s press release, the 0.87-metre-long dolphin calf is about 4 days old and weighs 10 kilogrammes.
An examination of the dolphin carcass led the research team to suggest that the dolphin died due to entanglement in gillnet, it added.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are fully protected under Cambodia’s Fisheries Law. The population is ranked as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, the highest international threat ranking for endangered species.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins are a living natural treasure of Cambodia with about 90 individuals currently living along the Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.
On Feb. 27, 2023, Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen signed a sub-decree to create a dolphin conservation and protection zones stretching for 120 kilometres along the Mekong River in the the two provinces.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse