(Kratie): Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Cambodian Senate President, instructed authorities in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, along with other relevant agencies, to strengthen efforts to protect and conserve the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins to prevent their extinction.

He spoke during a meeting on Monday morning (Jul. 6) with council members and leaders of provincial departments and institutions in Kratie Province.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is regarded as one of Cambodia's national natural treasures. It is a rare and endangered species, with its remaining population now found only in the Mekong River, which stretches through Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

Before 2023, the future of the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin population in Kratie and Stung Treng was uncertain due to high mortality rates and low birth rates. During the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cambodia-China Friendship Mekong River Bridge in Kratie Province in January 2023, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, then serving as prime minister, declared the dolphins' situation a national conservation emergency and urged the relevant authorities to implement urgent measures to protect the species.

Following that declaration, conservationists introduced a series of measures, particularly cracking down on illegal fishing activities, which they identified as one of the major threats to the dolphins. As a result, the species' conservation status has improved significantly. Dolphin deaths have declined while the number of births has increased. Notably, the authorities recorded no dolphin deaths in 2025.

According to official reports, the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin population has increased from just 96 individuals before former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen declared a conservation emergency in 2023 to 117 today, marking a net increase of 21 dolphins.
=FRESH NEWS