Aziz Idris

A VIDEO of two endangered Irrawaddy dolphins was captured by construction workers travelling by boat near the Temburong Bridge site, on August 25.

Expert marine researchers and diving enthusiasts who conducted studies and surveys on the marine mammals confirmed the species of the dolphins.

The 26-second video, which was circulated via WhatsApp, shows the fun-loving aquatic mammals producing a sound combination of clicks, creaks and buzzes as they skimmed the river surface and rolled over the water.

The pair was also seen spouting mists of water through their blowholes, before submerging back underwater.

According to a member of the Marine Endangered Species (MES) Brunei, who conducted a research in 2017 at the sheltered waters of Brunei Bay, “Irrawaddy dolphins are known as smiling dolphins, which have flat faces and wide mouths that curve upwards, making them incredibly cute.

“Irrawaddy dolphins are shy of boats, and generally dive when alarmed. But during my surveys, they were never this tame. Spotting an Irrawaddy dolphin is a truly special occasion,” said Mohd Vol, who was part of the research team.

He added that Irrawaddy dolphins will usually travel and feed in small pods of between three and six: “The most count, at a single sighting (of about 20 mins) was 42 individuals, during our survey off Pulau Muara Besar in 2017.”

Meanwhile, Poni Divers told the Bulletin that they also encountered similar species of river dolphins during dive trips to Pulau Selirong.

After inspecting the video, General Manager Mohammad Tahsin Wong bin Abdullah identified the two individuals as Irrawaddy dolphins, as “they have a very unique nose, identified by a bulging forehead and a short beak”.

Irrawaddy dolphins can be found across the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, stretching from India to Indonesia.

They prefer deep pools of large rivers and sheltered inshore, brackish marine waters, such as mangrove swamps which are found in abundance in the Brunei Bay.

These freshwater dolphins are quite large creatures, marking a weight of 12.3kg at birth, and are capable of expanding to a massive 200kg when fully grown.

Similarly, these creatures are vulnerable to global warming and climate changes, as are many other species.

The status of the Irrawaddy dolphin has been raised from vulnerable to endangered, as its numbers have fallen by half over the past 60 years due to human activities, according to the latest Red List of threatened species produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Meanwhile, conservationists warned the public not to harass, feed, chase or touch marine mammals in the wild, including Irrawaddy dolphins.

Despite the change in its status, the sighting of Irrawaddy dolphins in Brunei coastal waters is a good ‘environment health indicator species’, meaning that the quality of the marine environment is in good condition.