Threatened river dolphins make rebound

The population of Cambodia’s critically endangered river dolphin is growing for the first time in decades, conservations said yesterday, hailing a major turnaround for the freshwater species.

The Irrawaddy dolphin population has been in steady decline since the first census was taken in 1997, dropping from 200 that year to 80 in 2015 due to habitat loss and destructive fishing. But new births — including three calves in 2018 — and a decline in deaths has put the species on the path to recovery. (AFP)