Three rare dolphins have been spotted in Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province, alerting the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources to send a team to monitor their safety.
Department chief Attapol Charoenchansa said the sighting came from a staff member at the IP5 company that owns a port at the mouth of the river and prompted a full-scale survey of the surrounding waters by experts from the Marine and Coastal Research Centre.
He said the team found two Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and one Irrawaddy dolphin, adding they are all in good health and are finding plenty to eat about five kilometres further down the river. There were no traces of any wounds on any of them.
The Office of Natural Resources and Environment based in Chachoengsao province and local administrative organisation in Tha Kham district told nearby fishermen and travel boat operators to take extra care when navigating in waters nearby and extra staff had begun manning the 24-hour 1362 hotline on which further information can be passed to authorities.
The Bang Pakong River was once an ideal channel for marine life to make a home due to its abundance of food sources. However, industrial use by trawlers and passenger boats had polluted the stretch and where once there were estimated to be 30-40 Irrawaddy dolphins, the species was now rarely seen in the area, said Mr Attapol.