The last of the pink dolphins

When Simon Holliday jumped into the water to swim from Hong Kong to Macau on 24 May 2014, he was feeling anything but ready. He certainly didn’t know this 5:30 am swim would break a world record; nor did he think it would attract an unlikely swarm of spectators.
About four hours into the 35km, 10:20:30 journey – part of the Clean Cross Swim to raise money for the Ocean Recovery Alliance’s anti-pollution initiative  – open-water swimmer Holliday was approaching the mouth of the Pearl River Delta when his support paddler, Shu Pu, started yelling. There were endangered pink dolphins everywhere, as if they had signed up to join the race.
“I have been in Hong Kong, paddling around the islands for seven years, and have never encountered a pink dolphin on my own,” Pu said.
It wasn’t just one or two dolphins either – there were about 25 to 30 following the crew and diving on every side. “They stuck with us for more than an hour and came really close, probably 3m from me, jumping and crossing in front of my canoe,” Pu added.
“We actually exchanged looks at one point, kind of acknowledging each other.”
The crew encountered another group of Chinese white dolphins – which are often called pink dolphins for their rosy hue – as Holliday closed in on Macau, as if they were rooting for him to cross the finish line. “I didn’t actually know they were there until the crew told me,” Holliday said. “And then I was thinking, well the sun is out, the dolphins are following along, and I might just finish this thing. It was a really great omen.”
Pink dolphin sightings these days are unusual enough to begin with – and it is unheard of to see so many in one place at the same time. According to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, the number of pink dolphins in Hong Kong waters plummeted from 158 in 2003 to 61 in 2014 – a 40% decline. Other small populations of Chinese white dolphins – some with a slight pink tint, others appearing grey ¬¬– found near river mouths in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, are also threatened.
Between the ongoing construction of the 50km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge – which will be one of the longest bridges in the world upon completion at the end of 2016 – to the high-speed commercial ferries zipping back and forth to China every day, Hong Kong’s waters are teeming with physical threats and acoustic chaos. The latter is especially damaging because dolphins rely on sonar to navigate, communicate and find food. The government is also planning to build a third runway near the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island, which is in a prime dolphin corridor. The project would involve 650 hectares of land reclamation, dramatically reducing the dolphins’ habitat and further restricting their movement.     —BBC

The last of the pink dolphins

When Simon Holliday jumped into the water to swim from Hong Kong to Macau on 24 May 2014, he was feeling anything but ready. He certainly didnt know this 5:30 am swim would break a world record; nor did he think it would attract an unlikely swarm of spectators. About four hours into the 35km, 10:20:30 journey part of the Clean Cross Swim to raise money for the Ocean Recovery Alliances anti-pollution initiative open-water swimmer Holliday was approaching the mouth of the Pearl River Delta when his support paddler, Shu Pu, started yelling. There were endangered pink dolphins everywhere, as if they had signed up to join the race. I have been in Hong Kong, paddling around the islands for seven years, and have never encountered a pink dolphin on my own, Pu said. It wasnt just one or two dolphins either there were about 25 to 30 following the crew and diving on every side. They stuck with us for more than an hour and came really close, probably 3m from me, jumping and crossing in front of my canoe, Pu added. We actually exchanged looks at one point, kind of acknowledging each other. The crew encountered another group of Chinese white dolphins which are often called pink dolphins for their rosy hue as Holliday closed in on Macau, as if they were rooting for him to cross the finish line. I didnt actually know they were there until the crew told me, Holliday said. And then I was thinking, well the sun is out, the dolphins are following along, and I might just finish this thing. It was a really great omen. Pink dolphin sightings these days are unusual enough to begin with and it is unheard of to see so many in one place at the same time. According to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, the number of pink dolphins in Hong Kong waters plummeted from 158 in 2003 to 61 in 2014 a 40% decline. Other small populations of Chinese white dolphins some with a slight pink tint, others appearing grey found near river mouths in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, are also threatened. Between the ongoing construction of the 50km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge which will be one of the longest bridges in the world upon completion at the end of 2016 to the high-speed commercial ferries zipping back and forth to China every day, Hong Kongs waters are teeming with physical threats and acoustic chaos. The latter is especially damaging because dolphins rely on sonar to navigate, communicate and find food. The government is also planning to build a third runway near the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island, which is in a prime dolphin corridor. The project would involve 650 hectares of land reclamation, dramatically reducing the dolphins habitat and further restricting their movement. BBC