Pink dolphins spotted trying to lift dead baby dolphin to sea’s surface near Lantau Island

Researchers conducting a necropsy on the dolphin calf.

In the year’s first dead dolphin sighting in Hong Kong and one of saddest stories so far, six Chinese white dolphins (also known as pink dolphins) were spotted trying to lift a dead female dolphin calf up to the sea’s surface on Jan. 1 near Peaked Hill on Lantau Island. 

The following day, the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF) sent a team to perform a CT scan on the dolphin calf. The scan found that the dolphin’s skull was completely dislocated from the vertebrae.

They also discovered that the dolphin had sustained bruising and multiple fractures in its skull, vertebrae and right flipper, leading the vets to believe that blunt trauma killed the poor calf.

The CT scan shows the skull completely separated from the spine. 

Shadow Sin, the assistant manager of scientific projects for OPCF, said that vessel collisions are one of the top causes of death for cetaceans living in Hong Kong waters, unsurprising considering the heavy marine traffic in these parts. 

Another top cause is infections, including pneumonia, parasitism and bacterial diseases. 

The CT scan further revealed that the dolphin had some form of lung disease, which researchers believe may have had a detrimental impact on the its ability to navigate away from the source of trauma.

According to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, there may have been only 62 Chinese white dolphins left living in Hong Kong waters in 2013.

If you ever come across a stranded dolphin (dead or alive), please call 1823 so that OPCF, in conjunction with the government, can respond immediately.