PHNOM PENH – A newborn Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin was spotted in Kratie province on February 9, bringing the total population to 107, up from 104 at the beginning of 2024.

Estimated to be two days old, the calf is the third newborn Irrawaddy dolphin recorded in the first two months of 2025, according to a February 10 announcement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The dolphin was seen swimming with eight adults near Chroy Banteay village, Prek Prosop district, by a research team from the Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is one of only six freshwater dolphin species worldwide and is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.  It inhabits three river systems: the Mekong (Cambodia), the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), and the Mahakam (Kalimantan, Indonesia).

During the dry season from January to May, when water levels drop, these dolphins congregate in eight underwater canyons along a 180-kilometer stretch of the Mekong River, from Kratie to the Lao border in Stung Treng province.

The Irrawaddy dolphin population has seen a gradual increase in recent years, rising from 96 in 2022 to 99 in 2023.

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Rin Ousa for Cambodianess.