KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia (Xinhua): The population of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River in Cambodia has increased to about 105, Dith Tina, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said on Monday.
Tina disclosed the figure during the celebration of the 19th National Fish Day here in Prey Chhor district in southeastern Cambodia.
"For the first six months of 2024, eight newborn Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin calves were recorded, with only two deaths," he said. "This is exciting news."
According to a census conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Fisheries Administration of Cambodia, the species' population was estimated at 89 individuals in 2020, with a 95-percent confidence interval of 78-102.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.
The species live along a 180-km main channel of the Mekong River in northeastern Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.- Xinhua
