Last known freshwater dolphin in northeastern Cambodia dies

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Wildlife officials say the last known freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin on a stretch of the Mekong River in northeastern Cambodia has died, apparently after getting tangled in a fishing net.

The aquatic mammal was found dead Tuesday on a riverbank near the border with Laos.

The Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as the Mekong River dolphin, is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Other groups of the dolphins are found farther downstream in Cambodia and in two other freshwater rivers Myanmar’s Irrawaddy and Indonesia’s Mahakam on the island of Borneo.

The first census of Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia in 1997 estimated their population was about 200.

In 2020, the total population was estimated to be 89.