Phnom Penh, Aug 17 – A rare Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead after becoming entangled in an illegal gillnet in northeast Cambodia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries announced in a news release on Saturday.
The deceased dolphin, a 2.1-meter-long female weighing 108 kg, was discovered on Friday near the Kampi dolphin pool in Preaek Prasab district, Kratie province. The dolphin, aged between eight and 10 years, was confirmed dead by authorities.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries considers the death of this juvenile dolphin as the loss of a precious natural treasure of Cambodia and the world,” the ministry stated in the release. The ministry also urged fishermen to cease using gillnets and electro-fishing equipment in protected dolphin areas and encouraged the public to report illegal fishing activities.
This incident marks the third dolphin death recorded in Cambodia this year, with eight dolphin births also reported. The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins, listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2004, are estimated to have a population of approximately 105 individuals along a 180-km stretch of the Mekong River in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.
Source: LOKMAT TIMES
