Cambodia records 1st rare Mekong river dolphin death in 2023
PHNOM PENH, March 22 (Xinhua) — A rare Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin has been found dead after being entangled in fishermen’s illegal gillnets in northeast Cambodia, the Fisheries Administration (FiA) said in a statement.
The 2.38-meter-long male dolphin, 160 kg in weight and aged about 20, was spotted dead on Sunday morning in the Mekong River in the Stung Treng province, said the statement.
“The joint research team of Fisheries Administration and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) primarily assessed that the cause of the death was gillnets since there were tears on its stomach, and gillnet marks on its tail base and pelvic fins,” the statement said.
It was the first dolphin found dead in 2023, it added.
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