It palpate like every other day a new species is in riskiness , so at IFLScience we care to celebate the wins – most recently , we ’re mad about some good news for one of the world ’s uncanny dolphins . The Mekong dolphin , also known as the Irrawaddy mahimahi , plump from 200 to 89 from 1997 to 2020 – but at last , their number are on the up again .
accord to the farming minister during an address made on Monday , their numbers in their freshwater plate in Cambodia have grow to over 100 , paint a more plus future for this incredible species . 2024 has seen at least two Death among Irrawaddy dolphins , but alsoeight new calf , with the expected number of dolphin now at 105 .
Irrawaddy mahimahi live in the river and along the slide of South and Southeast Asia , and are a memorable peck for anyone prosperous enough to see them . Looking a bit like a dolphin that never loaded its nozzle , they have characteristically rounded head and olive - smooth grey pelt .
They ’re also notably unknown for theirflexible necks , a rare trait among these cetaceans that allow them with adorable line , redolent of the chubby rolls on a child ’s branch . They can uprise to 2.7 meters ( 8.9 feet ) harmonize toWhale and Dolphin Conservation , weighing as much as 130 kg ( 287 pounds ) . It fathom fairly telling compared to your intermediate human , but a bit mini in the context that bottlenose dolphin can press five timesmorethan that .
They ’re see expose by theIUCN Red List Of Threatened Speciesas human activity has seen their population number plummet , but some are hopeful that we are turning the tide on their crisis . The 21st century has seen conservation efforts made to bring the Mekong River population back from the brink .
The Cambodian politics has ferment with grouping such as the World Wildlife Fund on a campaign to bring consciousness to the species and put laws in place to prevent human - touch menace . The reach of river where the dolphins live has been made a protected zone , and there ’s been a crackdown on harmful sportfishing recitation as well as the assignment of river guards to check that the rules are being kept .
And it seems to be work , for now , at least . As report byEAC News , the good news was harbinger on National Fish Day on July 1 , 2024 , as part of a quislingism between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Fisheries Administration .
Fingers baffle 2025 will bring another bumper crop for one of the world ’s weird and most howling dolphin .
