A team from the FiA and WWF Cambodia weigh a 115kg female Irrawaddy dolphin found dead in Kampong Cham province on November 13. Agriculture ministry
A female Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead in Prek Bak Mouy village in Kampong Cham province’s Stung Trang district due to old age.
This brings the population of Mekong River dolphins down to 104 as of early November, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on November 14.
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The dolphin was discovered on November 13, prompting an inspection by a team from the ministry’s Fisheries Administration (FiA) and WWF Cambodia.
Their examination revealed that the dolphin, with identification code 043, originated from the Anlong Kampi area in Kratie province.
It was approximately 28 years old, measured 2.35 metres in length and weighed 115 kilogrammes. The dolphin had no teeth and bore no external injuries.
"Cambodia has lost one dolphin, found dead … An autopsy revealed an empty stomach and internal ulcers. Based on this data, the team concluded that the dolphin died of old age,” the ministry stated.
Between January and early November, nine dolphin calves were born and four adults died. This marks the highest annual rate of new arrivals since 2021.
The most recent calf was discovered by a research team from the FiA and WWF Cambodia on November 8 in Anlong Kampi, located in Chroy Banteay village, Sambok commune in Kratie’s Chitr Borei district.
In 2021, the country recorded six new dolphin births but lost nine others. In 2022, there were six births and 11 deaths, while in 2023, there were eight births and five deaths.
The ministry noted that the latest census in 2024 estimates that approximately 104 dolphins are currently living in deep pools along the Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.
The Mekong River dolphin is regarded as a living natural treasure. To protect them, the FiA, in collaboration with the provincial administrations of Kratie and Stung Treng and WWF, has intensified conservation efforts by deploying regular river patrols to prevent the use of illegal fishing gear in dolphin conservation zones.
The ministry has called on local fishermen and residents to report any use of prohibited fishing gear in dolphin pools, such as gillnets or electric fishing devices, via the following hotline numbers: 097 666 4999, 011 355 883, 088 8355 883, 012 897 943.
