Bye-Bye Ferries, Welcome Back Pink Dolphins!

Since the ferries have stopped in Hong Kong’s Pearl River Delta due to the Corona pandemic, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins – also known as pink dolphins – have made a comeback to this part of their natural habitat.

“Normally this entire area would be full of fast ferries taking people from Hong Kong to Macau and back again,” says Lindsay Porter, a marine scientist at the University of St. Andrews. “Since the Corona pandemic started in Macau and a lot of areas have had restricted travel, the fast ferries have stopped. And these waters have become very, very quiet.”

Porter and a team of fellow scientists have lowered microphones to listen to the animals and used drones to look at them from above. Turns out that approximately 30% more dolphins have come to swim in this waterway. The pink dolphins are among the species vulnerable, but they adapted quickly to their new quiet environment. This could potentially lead to an increase in their population.