TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese white dolphin, believed to be the same as one spotted seven years ago, was seen in the waters around the Kinmen Islands on Wednesday (Sept. 11).
The Taiwan Cetacean Society said in a Friday (Sept. 13) Facebook post that one of its members spotted the rare dolphin in the waters north of Kimen and captured a video of it. The society said that after comparing photos of the dolphin to ones taken in 2017 and 2011, its members were excited to confirm their “old friend” had emerged once again.
The society compared the dolphin's head shape, dorsal fin notch, and other markings with old photos to make the confirmation, it said. The society said the dolphin’s upper jaw was injured in 2011 and after not seeing it for seven years, they feared it may have died.
“How did she find food? How did she survive? Did she rely on a group for assistance? These different questions make everyone curious,” the Facebook post read.
“Thanks to her for staying strong and surviving,” the group said. It also thanked the society’s volunteers, donors, and the local fisheries research institute for their assistance.
According to the Ocean Affairs Council, Chinese white dolphins are found near China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan, where groups are found in coastal waters from Hsinchu to Tainan. The populations off Taiwan have been classified as a subspecies named the Taiwan White Dolphin.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the Chinese white dolphin as ”vulnerable” and the Taiwan subspecies is said to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
