09/19/2020, 08.00
HONG KONG
Send to a friend

Chinese pink dolphin resurfaces thanks to the COVID-19

With no ferry traffic since March, the pink dolphin population rose by 30 per cent in the Pearl River estuary to about 2,500. In recent years, the species has experienced a worrying decline. Overfishing, pollution, coastal development and marine traffic threaten its survival.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the rare Chinese pink dolphin has reappeared in Hong Kong waters.

According to research by the University of St Andrews, the numbers of this rare mammal present in the Pearl River estuary, which separates the former British colony from Macau, jumped by 30 per cent since the start of the pandemic.

Back in March, the COVID-19 outbreak led local authorities to suspend ferry traffic between the two autonomous regions, a step that helped the animal's resurgence.

According to the local branch of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), the first recorded sighting of the pink dolphin in the Hong Kong area dates back to 1600s.

At present, the population in the Pearl River Estuary is estimated to be around 2,500 individuals, but the nature conservation group says that it has experienced a "worrisome decrease" in recent years as a result of overfishing, water pollution, heavy marine traffic and coastal development.

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Chinese White Dolphin in danger
19/04/2007
Pink dolphin facing extinction from pollution in China's southern sea
08/05/2013
Cambodia, "environmentally sustainable" tourism to save Mekong dolphin
06/09/2008
Throughput down in Shanghai and Shenzhen ports
13/01/2009
Cambodia to set up protected areas along the Mekong to save rare dolphin
02/01/2023 15:03


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”