KOH RONG: A Chinese man has posted a video of a pod of dolphins emerging in the ocean around Koh Rong island in Sihanoukville province. These oceanic dolphins are not typically sighted in Cambodia, which is much more well known for its river dolphins in the Mekong.
The video of the rare dolphin sighting was posted on Liuxiaoqiang's Facebook page in Chinese, and was shared by the @Koh Rong diving Tik Tok account as well.
As the Chinese man boarded a boat off the coast of Koh Rong island, he caught a glimpse of a dolphin jumping out of the water. In the video, the man can be seen expressing his excitement as the pod of dolphins swim under and around his boat.
The Chinese man confirmed that he has lived in Koh Rong for three years and has encountered these oceanic dolphins several times.
“I have met dolphins many times, and I see that everyone likes [them], so I share [this] with everyone, I hope we can protect the environment together, and let more dolphins live in the beautiful oceans of Cambodia,” wrote the Chinese man on his Facebook page.
Immediately after this video was posted and circulated widely online, many people expressed their happiness to see this rare dolphin sighting in Cambodian waters.
The Mayor of Koh Rong, Nuon Bulthol, confirmed that he and some tourists had also spotted these dolphins in Cambodian waters before.
“Cambodia indeed has dolphins in the sea, I have seen it many times, but I normally see small dolphins," he said.
The Koh Rong Mayor also confirmed that these dolphins are rarely sighted in Cambodian waters, and said that this species of dolphin typically lives in the middle of the deep sea.
He added that the authorities have called on all fishermen and tourists to not touch or catch the dolphins, and to instead work together to care for and preserve the presence of this oceanic species in Cambodia.