Myanmar loses its dolphins

SIN KYUN, MYANMAR, 17 January 2017: Tears fill Maung Lay’s eyes as he describes losing the dolphin he knew since his childhood, the latest casualty of a battle against pollution and electrofishing that may see the species disappear in Myanmar.

Loved for generations for corralling the catch into fishermen’s nets, the ‘smiling’ Irrawaddy dolphins are being killed in record numbers by rogue gangs who use car batteries to stun aquatic life.

The illegal technique now threatens to wipe out the dolphins and the tourist bonanza they promise. Read more

Cambodia calls for dolphin protection

KRATIE, 10 August 2016: Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism calls on residents and related government authorities to protect dolphins for the sake of the environment and also for their positive contribution to the travel experience.

Agence Kampuchea Press quoted Tourism Minister Thong Khon saying local people and government officials should to lead campaigns to preserve and protect dolphins.

“No Dolphin, No Tourists,” the minister commented after a female dolphin and its baby were found dead in Kratie province late last month. Read more

Hong Kong dolphins disappear

HONG KONG, 30 November 2015: Hong Kong seeks to expand its international airport and with a major new bridge project under way, campaigners warn that the dwindling number of much-loved pink dolphins in surrounding waters may disappear altogether.

Conservationists say their repeated concerns have fallen on deaf ears, with what they describe as a “rapid” decline of the mammal in the past few decades.

The Chinese white dolphin — popularly known as the pink dolphin due to its pale pink colouring — draws scores of tourists daily to the waters north of Hong Kong’s Lantau island. Read more