Hong Kong Pink Dolphins Enjoy Comeback As Pandemic Slows Marine Traffic

Hong Kong, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Oct, 2020 ) :Rare pink dolphins are returning to the waters between Hong Kong and Macau after the coronavirus pandemic halted ferries, but scientists remain deeply concerned about their long-term survival in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

The tell-tale flash of pink leaping from the waters alerts Naomi Brennan to the presence of a local Chinese white dolphin and she jots the animal's location into a GPS device.

Conservationists like Brennan regularly board boats in the Pearl River Delta to document how the mammals, known for their eye-catching pink colouring, are faring.

"Today we encountered three different groups of dolphins -- six adults and two sub-adults," she explained.

"They were engaging in a range of behaviour, from feeding to travelling and socialising."For years keeping tabs on the dolphins has been a disheartening task.

The population has fallen by 70-80 percent in the past 15 years in what is one of the world's most industrialised estuaries.