Villagers along the Mekong river found a dead freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin floating with the current yesterday near Prek Chik village in Kratie province’s Prek Presap district.

Fishery officials said the male dolphin weighs about 100kg.

Sean Kin, a fishery official in Kratie province, said his team took the dead animal to the provincial office of the conservation group WWF office.

According to villager Chan Sokin, the large, rare dolphin may have died because it was trapped in a fishing net, which had been illegally placed in the area preserved for dolphins. The WWF did not yet confirm this yesterday.

Two dolphins have been found dead this year, following four last year, WWF spokesman Tep Asnarith said.

“We are so worried about this death since it is a rare species in the region,” Asnarith said.

In 2012, the government issued a sub-decree banning the use of nets near dolphin habitats.