KRATIE: A dolphin weighing more than 100 kg was found dead in the Mekong river at the border of Kratie and Stung Treng provinces on Sunday, 18 December 2022.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Cambodia, the dead dolphin was a male between the ages of 15 and 20, and was recorded to be 230 cm long and weighing 162 kg. The dolphin was found floating in the river near Anlong Koh Dambang at the border between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

On Sunday, the research team of the Fisheries Administration and WWF examined the dolphin carcass and initially concluded that the animal died from getting stuck in a fishing net. The team found traces of fishing net on the surface of the dolphin’s tail and body, along with scars along its neck.

Both the Fisheries Administration and WWF state that they mourn the loss of the freshwater dolphin.

"The discovery of each new dead dolphin is very sad, and we are most saddened when a healthy adult dolphin dies because it seriously impacts the ability of Mekong River dolphins to reproduce in small numbers,” said WWF-Cambodia Director, Seng Teak.

The Mekong irrawady dolphin is listed on the IUCN Red list of endangered species. According to a 2020 study of the dolphin population in Cambodia by the Fisheries Administration and WWF, it is estimated that only 89 dolphins now remain in the Mekong River in Cambodia.