"Too breathtaking! Three white dolphins appear in Shekou" the Chinese headline reads, but one conservationist is less than impressed, saying the busy, polluted waters off of Shekou are not safe for the near threatened species.
On Janurary 27, the three dolphins – apparently two adults and a calf – were photographed in the waters off of the Shekou Ferry Terminal, according to the Shekou News WeChat account.
Ten years ago the Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River Delta area were estimated to be 2,500, but that number has dropped significantly, with a representative at the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society saying construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge took a heavy toll.
“It cuts right across the center of their population,” said Samuel Hung.
The fawning Chinese report about the Shekou appearance, which was also carried by Tencent News, suggests the dolphins came to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Hung was less thrilled.
“It’s hard to guess why exactly they go up stream, but it’s definitely not a suitable habitat for them,” he said. “The water could be quite polluted. They definitely should not be upstream for too long.”
READ MORE: Rare Dolphin Dies on Shenzhen Beach
[Images via Shekou News]
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