Six Irrawaddy dolphin calves were confirmed on the Mekong

Six Irrawaddy dolphin calves were confirmed this year along about 120 kilometers of the Mekong in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. Mongabay reported on October 20, 2026, that Cambodia's population is now estimated at 118 animals. Kampi fisheries chief I Sanaroth said the increase came from joint conservation work by the Fisheries Administration and WWF-Cambodia, and that the work is not finished.

The same report is plain about the limits. The count is still well below a late-1990s estimate of roughly 200. Gillnets are especially dangerous for calves, and electrofishing, habitat damage, and dams elsewhere in the basin remain pressures. About 20 dolphins use the deep pool at Kampi, where boat driver Heang Koeurn said visitors come to see them. The news is six births and a higher tally. It is not a claim that the river's dolphins are safe.