A mother and her baby Ayeyarwaddy dolphins, mistakenly found in Beilin Township, Mon State, have been successfully rescued and returned to the deep waters.
On October 5, officials from the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) discovered the dolphins while monitoring waterfowl in the Gulf of Muttama. U Thaw Phyo Shwe, head of the Water Resources and Waterfowl Study Group at BANCA, reported that the rescue operation began around 4:30 p.m. when a small dolphin was spotted. Shortly after, the team located the larger mother dolphin about 50 feet away.
Both dolphins were safely removed from the fishing area and released into the deep sea at approximately 4:52 p.m. According to U Thaw Phyo Shwe, these Ayeyarwaddy dolphins are critical to local biodiversity, with fewer than a few hundred remaining in the wild. It is believed they drifted into Mon State due to incorrect water current; without intervention, they would likely have become stranded and perished as the tide receded.
The mother dolphin measured about 5.6 feet, while the baby was around 2.5 feet long. Since 2004, BANCA has been working to identify critically endangered species and protect vital habitats across the country, collaborating with local conservation groups and international experts. The organization is currently partnering with HELVETAS Myanmar on conservation efforts in the Gulf of Muttama, a recognized Ramsar site since May 10, 2017, which boasts significant ecological diversity and meets six of the nine Ramsar criteria for wetland designation.
