Five rare pink Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins were spotted swimming in the sea off Hong Kong, southern China. The video was filmed in the city of Shantou in Guangdong Province on April 5. The newly born In do-Pacific humpbacked dolphins are dark grey, the young ones are grey and the adults are pink. The video was provided by local media with permission.
The Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins known as Chinese white dolphins, or pink dolphins are first-class national protected animals and listed as “vulnerable” in the red list of threatened species by the IUCN (世界自然保护联盟). The numbers have dwindled because they are particularly vulnerable to sewage (污水) and chemicals that are dumped into the harbour daily, as well as overfishing, boat traffic and coastal development.
Dr Lindsay Porter, a senior research scientist in the University of St Andrews, has been working with local conservation group — WWF Hong Kong, to study the dolphins in the Pearl River Delta. He says the number of pink dolphins in Hong Kong has jumped by 30% in recent months. These waters, which were once the most crowded waterways in Hong Kong, have become more dolphin-friendly, ever since boat traffic was suspended in February due to the outbreak of COVID-19. “I’ve been studying these dolphins since 1993 and I’ve never seen anything like this dramatic change before, and the only thing that changed is 200 ferries stopped traveling before.
According to WWF Hong Kong, although there are about 2, 500 in the entire delta, the situation remains ugly. Still worrisome decrease in the number of young dolphins in Hong Kong’s waters has been observed. In a statement, WWF Hong Kong has advocated for the government to designate a development-free Dolphin Conservation Management Area in the western and southern Lantau waters by 2024, so that the dolphins have safe feeding and socializing habitats. It’s necessary to take a proactive approach to conserve the remaining population of the species before it’s too late.
【小题1】What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To offer an example of the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins. |
| B．To illustrate what the video is about. |
| C．To draw out the topic of the passage. |
| D．To highlight the existence of the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins. |
| A．Increased. | B．Died out. | C．Decreased. | D．Tracked down. |
| A．Because of the outbreak of COVID-19. |
| B．Because the boat traffic broke off during the pandemic. |
| C．Because the adult dolphins live longer. |
| D．Because the efforts were made by the local conservation groups. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Neutral. | C．Indifferent. | D．Worried. |
