Cambodian Dolphin Numbers Down By Not Quite 50% In Three Years, Only 71 Remain - BBC

[hatrack]

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A scientific survey taken three years ago estimated the dolphin population at 127. The latest study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) puts the figure at 71. It comes as a devastating blow after all the work that local and international organisations have put in.

As well as banning the use of gill nets, the government has established a network of river guards to patrol the dolphin habitats. While CRDT has been working with the local human population, WWF scientists have been looking into ways of protecting the dolphins. Everyone was hoping that the dolphin population would at least stabilise, if not flourish. Payback would come in the form of an influx of tourists to see the pods at play and bring much-needed revenue to the local economy.

That dream recedes as each dead dolphin washes up on the banks of the Mekong. Most worryingly, most of the recent casualties have been calves. Without the babies, there is no future for the species.

"There are theories that the immune systems of the dolphins have been compromised by stress," says Richard Zanre, dolphin programme manager for WWF. "The river environment has been encroached upon by new developments. There is also the problem of contaminants in the river."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7448013.stm