China witnesses rise in number of rare white dolphins

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: As per a recent survey, the population of endangered Chinese white dolphins is on the rise in the country, currently placed at 2,060.

The survey says that the number has gone up in the last five years with the Chinese white dolphins living near an estuary of the Pearl River.

As per a report published in Hindustan Times, a Chinese white dolphin monitoring expedition in 2015 found that the population had increased from the 1,500 recorded in 2011, He Shaoqing, deputy chief of Guangdong provincial maritime and fishery bureau said.

The bureau issued a release on the marine environment of the province for 2015, which coincided with World Oceans Day.

He said the dolphin monitoring team had recorded 378 dolphin groups totalling 2,416, 2,060 were Chinese white dolphins, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Chinese white dolphins, which are a first-class protected animal, are found along a few coastal areas in the country.