After 17 years, dolphin “Bibong” can look forward to a life of freedom. The last captive Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin in South Korea has completed 70 days of wild adaptation training and has now been released off the southern island of Jeju.
The now 23-year-old dolphin was captured off the coast of Jeju in 2005 and kept in a marine mammal park. According to Yonhap, experts had come to the conclusion that “Bibong” could be released into the wild despite the long time in captivity. He was the last dolphin of his species to live in captivity in the country. Since 2013, South Korea has released seven Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins as part of a reintroduction program.
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) live near the coasts of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans, often in groups of five to 15 individuals. They are at risk from human activities such as boat traffic and pollution and have a life expectancy of about 40 to 50 years.
Source: Krone
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