On the afternoon of May 17, law enforcement staff of the Hepu Dugong Nature Reserve in Beihai, Guangxi Province, took a law enforcement speedboat to conduct law enforcement patrols in the protected area, and found flocks of Chinese white dolphins in the sea, the number of which is estimated to be more than 10. In recent years, Hepu County and Hepu Dugong Nature Reserve have effectively protected the marine ecological environment and provided a good habitat for Chinese white dolphins.
In the afternoon, law enforcement officers found a group of Chinese white dolphins 400 to 500 meters east of boundary marker 9 in the experimental area of Hepu Dugong Conservation Area and at the entrance of the Dongsha Channel in Sha Tin, some diving in the water or jumping out of the water to play. The two groups of dolphins are more black and gray, and it is estimated that two Chinese white dolphin families are preying. According to law enforcement officers, there are about 10 Chinese white dolphins.
According to Zhang Hongke, director of the Hepu Dugong Nature Reserve Management Center, the reserve and Nanjing Normal University jointly carried out cetacean surveys in the protected area in 2003, and now more than 20 voyages are surveyed every year.
"So far, 70% to 80% of the surveys we have conducted almost 20 voyages have found white dolphins, so the frequency of discovery is becoming more and more intensive." This shows that since the environmental protection inspector rectification, the marine ecology of the whole region has gradually improved. Zhang Hongke said.
White dolphins are mainly distributed along the southeast coast of China, belonging to the national first-class protected animals, known as "mermaids" and "water giant pandas". In the Hepu Dugong Reserve, the estimated number of Chinese white dolphins is about 150, and 96 individuals are currently identified, mainly young and middle-aged individuals, showing significant genetic differences and differentiation. In recent years, Hepu County and the reserve have effectively protected the marine ecological environment, and the water quality of the sea has been continuously improved, providing a good habitat for the Chinese white dolphin.