A solitary dolphin is the last survivor of the Mekong dolphin pod on the Cambodian side of the river border with Laos.
Follow-up to : post518725.html#p518725

Special Report: The Clock Ticking for the Last Remaining Irrawaddy Dolphin in Anlong Chheuteal
AKP Phnom Penh, February 09, 2022 --

(Code-035: The Last Remaining Irrawaddy Dolphin at Anlong Chheuteal, Photographed in 2020 by Tan Somethbunwath FiA/WWF)
Despite efforts being made to save it, worries remain there that the clock is ticking for the last Irrawaddy Dolphin inhabiting in Anlong Chheuteal section of the Mekong River due to its condition and the surrounding environment.

Irrawaddy Dolphins are commonly found in two sections of Cambodia's Mekong River: one is the River span between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, and the other one at Anlong Chheuteal which is the border between Cambodia's Stung Treng and the Champa Sak province of Laos.

Mr. Phay Somany, Deputy Director of Department of Fisheries Conservation of the Fisheries Administration, told AKP that 25 Irrawaddy Dolphins were recorded at Anlong Chheuteal in 1990s, however the number dropped to six in 2012, three in 2019, only one in 2021.

According to Mr. Ouk Vibol, Director of the above-said department, the sharp decrease of the dolphins at Along Chheuteal due mainly to dam construction at the upper stream of the river leading to low water current and level which makes it hard for dolphins as well as fish to survive.

The COVID-19 pandemic especially in 2021, he added, drove up the number of fishing that further affected the livelihood of the Irrawaddy Dolphins.

Both Mr. Somany and Mr. Vibol shared the same concern that the one remaining dolphin at Along Chheuteal will not survive very long.

That one dolphin is over 20 years old, said Mr. Vibol, adding that holding other factors constant, a dolphin lives an average between 26 to 30 years.

Mr. Kong Chanthy, head of the fishing community network in Borey O' Svay Senchey district in Stung Treng province said that he observed the dolphin is getting thinner and weaker due to lack of food.

Despite the emerging threats, the conservation team of the Provincial Fishery Administration is trying hard to save the last dolphin, including a coordination with neighbouring Lao authority to take good care of it.

To Cambodians, especially those living along the Mekong River, dolphin is a sacred living mammal as it contributes vitally to supporting the livelihood of the community by providing an important source of incomes and employments for the community engaged through tourism.

H.E. Pum Sotha, Director General of the Fisheries Administration, was reported as saying that his team in cooperation with WWF-Cambodia planned to erect a dolphin statue at the bank of Mekong River at Anlong Chheuteal.

Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Let alone the surviving one at Anlong Chheuteal, Cambodia's Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng are home to only 89 Irrawaddy Dolphins, inclusive of the six newborns and seven recently died due to aging and other factors.
- By Phen Rattanak
AKP

A blow for Mekong dolphin fans everywhere: Not even a week after our post on the "last remaining dolphin at Anlong Chheuteal", the last dolphin is no more, apparently killed by fishermen.
post533155.html#p533155

Cambodia News (Steung Treng Province): On February 15, 2022, in Preah Romkel commune, Borey Osvay Senchey district, the last Mekong dolphin of Chheuteal island was tragically found dead in the Mekong river.
According to Phoy Vanna, a member of the Preah Rumkel Dolphin Tourism Community, the dolphin was found stuck to a fishing net and wounds were also found on its body. This is a tragedy for the environment and a big loss on tourism in the community as the dolphins were one of the main attractions.
It is all the more tragic that the dolphin died in what appears to be a deliberate attack on the area's last remaining Irrawaddy dolphin.


RIP, the last survivor of the Anlong Chheuteal Mekong dolphin pod.

The Last Irrawaddy Dolphin in Anlong Chheuteal Died
AKP Phnom Penh, February 17, 2022 --

Despite efforts made to save it, the Irrawaddy Dolphin inhabiting in Anlong Chheuteal section of the Mekong River between Cambodia's Stung Treng and the Champasak province of Laos has died.

The update was shared by Mr. Ouk Vibol, Director of Department of Fisheries Conservation of the Fisheries Administration following the death on Feb. 15.

According to Mr. Ouk Vibol, the corpse of the sole dolphin in that section of the Mekong was found at its habitat by a fisherman.

Mr. Srey Sam Vichet, Acting Director of the Stung Treng Fisheries Administration District Office, shared that the passed dolphin weighted 110 kg and was 2.34 metres long.

The Fisheries Administration in cooperation with WWF-Cambodia will erect a dolphin statue at the bank of Mekong River at Anlong Chheuteal to commemorate its existence there.

Irrawaddy Dolphins are commonly found in two sections of Cambodia's Mekong River: one is the River span between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, and the other one at Anlong Chheuteal which is the border between Cambodia's Stung Treng and the Champasak province of Laos.

Cambodia's Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng is home to only 89 Irrawaddy Dolphins, inclusive of the six new-borns and seven recently died due to aging and other factors.

Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
By Phen Rattanak

and another animal bites the dust>
thanks to Mankind

The population was declared functionally extinct by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2016 after it was found there were too few potential breeding pairs available to ensure the survival of the population.

With the death of this last animal, the Irrawaddy Dolphin is now extinct in Laos.

in better times