Once a fisherman discovered a dying dolphin off the coast of Thailand. He contacted marine conservationists and received instructions on how to care for the sick dolphin until a rescue team arrived. It was clear that saving the dolphin would be quite difficult.

The dolphin was named Paradon. Irrawaddy dolphins live in three rivers – in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia, and are considered to be an endangered species due to poaching. Around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins still live along Thailand’s east coast, according to the marine research agency.

The paradon, found on July 22, was miraculously saved. Several veterinarians and volunteers looked after him in Rayong on the Gulf of Thailand.

Tanafan Chomchuen, the facility’s veterinarian, said: “The chances of survival were few taking into account the condition of the dolphin. Delphine was put on special treatment for a lung infection.

He was placed in a pool of sea water and constantly assessed for his condition. First, the dolphin was fed through a tube, and then from a bottle. The dolphin was assigned an 8-hour shift of volunteers and a full-time veterinarian to operate the water pump and heat the dolphin’s milk. A month later Paradon’s condition improved.

He grew up, gained some weight and does not show any symptoms of the disease.

Thanks to the efforts of the team and feeding every 20-30 minutes, the dolphin came out of critical condition.
However, despite the positive dynamics, Paradon still needs long-term care, possibly until weaning.

Sumana Kajonwattanakul, director of the maritime center, said: “A paradon needs to be taken care of until he has his teeth. Then he must be weaned and taught to eat fish and live in a flock.”

Irrawaddy dolphins are amazingly beautiful. They belong to the kind of dolphins that jump out of the water to a fairly high height. Just look at these beauties…

Here you can watch the video on this story!