Dolphin’s daring adventure ends swimmingly with a river rescue in Phuket

The authorities successfully rescued a lost bottlenose dolphin that had ventured into the Tha Chin River in the Ratsada district of Phuket.

Residents, anglers, and fishermen in the district spotted the dolphin swimming in Tha Chin River near Koh Sire Bridge at 8am today and reported it to the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Centre.

Residents urged the relevant authorities to rush to the scene as they were worried that the river was not fit for the mammal’s habitat as the brackish water might harm the dolphin. Moreover, many anglers fish along the route and several boats travel along the river which was dangerous for the animal.

Upon closer examination, experts were able to identify the stranded dolphin as a bottlenose dolphin, measuring approximately 1 meter in length, and that it had likely become separated from its group.

The authorities visited the river to rescue the dolphin but they initially ran into difficulty and could not get close to it. So, there was a change of plan from capturing the dolphin to guiding it back into the sea. Three officers got into a boat and successfully led the dolphin toward the open waters.

The bottlenose dolphin in Thailand is known as the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, also known as Tursiops aduncus, which is smaller than the common bottlenose dolphin. The provinces in Thailand where the bottlenose dolphins are found the most are Ranong, Phang Nga, and Phuket.

The discovery of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Thailand and other parts of the country is very rare, but two bottlenose dolphins were seen in the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province near Bangkok in January.

Last month, seven to ten bottlenose dolphins were spotted near Koh Khao Yai in Satun province in the southern region of Thailand. Satun is a perfect destination to see bottlenose dolphins and other species. The spots where the dolphins always visit are Koh Khao Yai, Koh Phetra, and near Che Bi Lang Canal.