Extremely rare Chinese white dolphins seen in Xiamen

Multiple Sousa chinensis, also known as Chinese white dolphins, were seen in waters near the Huoshaoyu Islet in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province on Jan. 24. The species, under first-class national protection in China, is referred to as “the giant panda on the ocean.” They are extremely sensitive to water quality, and thus viewed as an indicator of the marine environment.

Chinese white dolphins are seen in the waters near Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo by Lin Minghong)

Chinese white dolphins frolic in the sea. (Photo by Chen Bo/People's Daily Online)

Photo shows the waters where Chinese white dolphins are observed. (Photo by Chen Bo/People's Daily Online)

An expert with the nature reserve affairs center of Xiamen told People's Daily Online that Xiamen established China's first Chinese white dolphin nature reserve in 1997, and then set up a rescue and rehabilitation center for the species in the Huoshaoyu Islet. The waters near Xiamen are now home to over 80 Chinese white dolphins, up from 60 in the early 1990s, and Xiamen is the only city in China where Chinese white dolphins can be observed from the urban area.