A rare pink dolphin was spotted in waters between Hong Kong and Macau, a place where their numbers have fallen in recent years.
According to the details, experts have been receiving reports about the presence of pink dolphins in the area but for the first time, they succeeded to take pictures of the rare species.
Acting on the reports of local fishermen, a team of wildlife reached in the area to unearth the truth behind the reports. The experts surprised to see the rare species in the sea.
The experts said that since the coronavirus pandemic began and humans went further into isolation, animals around the globe have started to return to once-abandoned habitats.
Dr. Lindsay Porter, a senior research scientist with the University of St Andrews, said that dolphin numbers have risen by 30 per cent in the waterway since March, Insider reported.
He maintained, “I have been studying these dolphins since 1993 and I have never seen anything like this dramatic change before, and the only thing that changed is 200 ferries stopped traveling.”
“From visual observations, the dolphins are spending much more time socializing, splashing around on the surface, quite a bit of foreplay,” he said and added, “Hong Kong dolphins normally live on the edges, they’re stressed, they spend their time eating and resting. So to see them playing, to see them having a good time, that was really great to see.”
In order to find how many dolphins returned, Porter and her team dropped recording stations under the surface in typical ferry lanes. Then, they listed in to hear the dolphin vocalizations and compared the new recordings to old ones taken before the pandemic.
“I sometimes feel that we’re studying the slow demise of this population, which can be really sad,” Porter added.
The World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong said that the population of dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary is estimated to be around 2,500 individuals.
