An Irrawaddy dolphin calf—sick and too weak to swim—was drowning in a tidal pool on Thailand’s shore when fishermen found him.
They quickly alerted marine conservationists, who advised them on how to provide emergency care until a rescue team could transport the calf to Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center for veterinary attention.
The baby was nicknamed Paradon—roughly translated as “brotherly burden”—because those involved with his rescue knew from day one that saving his life would be no easy task.
A baby dolphin named Paradon swims at the Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong Province in eastern Thailand. (Courtesy of Sakchai Lalit via AP)
Irrawaddy dolphins are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Indonesia….