Ecosystem in the pink ? Rare dolphin spotted off northern coast

A citizen’s video capturing a rare pink dolphin swimming in the Do Son beach area in Hai Phong City has been widely shared online.

The video clip, about a minute long, was shared on Saturday and shows a pink dolphin swimming and occasionally leaping out of the water near the shore. On seeing people and boats approaching, the dolphin swims further away and keeps its distance.

Unlike the usual blackish color of dolphins in Vietnamese waters, the video showed a light pink skin, surprising and exciting viewers.

Many people not only commented on the video with excitement, they also saw it as a good sign of the ecosystem recovering.

Pink dolphins have appeared in the past at Do Son, but there is no formal record of such sightings.

According to local fishermen, the appearance of pink dolphins is a good omen, a sign that they will have a good shrimp and fish harvesting season.

The Do Son District Tourism Department has said it is contacting the citizen who recorded and posted the video to collect and verify information.

It is speculated that the creature seen is an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. The species inhabits coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. An adult Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is gray, white or pink. It is said that the dolphin population along the Chinese coast has pink skin.

The dolphin is classed as « vulnerable » by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its population is threatened by pollution, vessel collision, overfishing, and underwater noise pollution.

By Thuy Quynh – VnExpress.net – August 22, 2021