News
Death of last river dolphin in Laos rings alarm bells for Mekong population
Known only by his identity code, ID#35 was the last individual of a doomed subpopulation of freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris). He was the sole occupant of a deep pool in the Mekong River that spans the border between Cambodia and Laos, and fought for ...
Carolyn Cowan on
Last Irrawaddy dolphin in northeastern Cambodia dies
The last known endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin on a stretch the Mekong River near Cambodia’s border with Laos died this week, after it was reported snagged in a fishing net, wildlife officials and villagers in the Southeast Asian countries said. “We are deeply saddened by the ...
RFA Staff
Floating guard post to protect Irawaddy dolphins in Mekong
The Kratie provincial authority in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Cambodia) is preparing to build a guard post in the Anlong Kampi area of the Mekong River in Chitr Borei district’s Sambok commune to watch for illegal fishing activities that may affect ...
Nov Sivutha
Local efforts help protect the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins in Myanmar
Irrawaddy dolphins can be seen in three major rivers in Southeast Asia: the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong. In Myanmar, the dolphin is known for its close relations with local fishers as they often help to drive shoals of fish towards ...
Thinn Nay Chi Sun
Dolphins face fishing threat
Fishing offences in the Anlong Kampi Irrawaddy dolphin conservation area are still happening despite a ban, the Kampi fishing community said. Most fish poachers use electric shock devices with power connected to their nets to catch fish in deep water, a practice that affects rare and ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
Illegal fishing still a threat to Irrawaddy dolphins
Despite strict measures and awareness-raising campaigns dedicated to the protection and conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins, illegal fishing remains persistent on the Mekong River, casting a threat to the already-endangered freshwater species. Mok Ponlok, deputy chief of Kratie Provincial Fisheries Administration, said yesterday the administration has, during ...
Som Kanika
Survey Finds Decade-High Numbers of Irrawaddy Dolphins
The number of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins found in Myanmar this year has increased to 79, the highest in a decade, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar (WCS). The numbers include seven calves aged three months or younger. The Irrawaddy dolphins can also be found ...
Zarni Mann
Southeast Asia’s most critical river is entering uncharted waters
For months now, a single, rare Irrawaddy river dolphin, apparently entangled in a fishing net and disoriented, has been spotted in Southeast Asia’s struggling Mekong River, far from its normal habitat in northern Cambodia. Conservationists are scrambling to come up with a plan to help the ...
Stefan Lovgren
Freshwater dolphins in the Mekong are benefitting from better protection
Irrawaddy dolphins are curious creatures in more ways than one. They are curious by nature and look curious too. Instead of having long bottle-like nostrums like their relatives living in the seas, these freshwater mammals sport snub noses with bulging foreheads. They look a bit ...
Darunee Sukanan
Dolphin species thought extinct in Vietnam caught in Mekong Delta
An Irrawaddy dolphin, not seen in decades in Vietnam, was caught by a fisherman in the southern province of Ben Tre on Wednesday. Phan Van Thai, 49, and his wife were fishing on the Co Chien River in Cho Lach District when they heard a loud ...
Phan Anh, Hoang Nam, Cuu Long