Thai authorities are probing the death of an endangered Irrawaddy dolphin that made headlines after straying into the Prachinburi River last week.
Sightings of the female dolphin were shared widely on social media, spurring hope for its survival, which ended when it was found dead in the eastern Thai river on January 22.
Thai media outlet Khaosod English reported that local agencies had attempted to guide the dolphin back to its natural habitat in the Gulf of Thailand’s Bang Pakong estuary.
The remains of the dolphin have been transferred to Kasetsart University for an autopsy.
The dolphin measured over 2.20 meters in length and weighed more than 100 kilograms.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) said injuries found on the dolphin’s body and internal organs during a preliminary investigation were not the primary cause of death.
The status of the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) was raised from “vulnerable” to “endangered” in 2017 after its global population fell by half due to fishing and other human activities. It appears on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List as a critically endangered species.
Freshwater populations of Irrawaddy dolphins are found in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, Indonesia’s Mahakam River, and the Mekong River.
According to Thailand’s DMCR, only 14-20 Irrawaddy dolphins remained in Songkhla Lake as of 2022.
A 2020 survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society estimated that 79 Irrawaddy dolphins remained in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, showing a modest increase from 69 the year before.
However, conservation efforts in Myanmar have faced setbacks following the 2021 military coup, which disrupted environmental initiatives and created broader instability, putting the species at greater risk.
