Cambodia’s dwindling population of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins has increased by one.

World Wildlife Fund Cambodia spokesman Un Chakrey yesterday said a newborn dolphin calf, probably only a little more than a week old, was spotted on June 6 in Kampi pool, located in the Mekong River about 15 kilometres north of Kratie town.

The pool is home to about 20 of the last remaining 80 Irrawaddy river dolphins in Cambodia. Irrawaddy river dolphins give birth only once every two to three years.

The WWF believes damming projects – particularly Laos’s Don Sahong dam, which sits on the Mekong just 2 kilometres from the Cambodian border, pose a particular threat to the species.