Near-Extinct Pink Dolphin Gives Birth to Rare Pink Calf | Mother-Baby Spotted Swimming in River

A rare and famous dolphin from Louisiana, Pinky, was recently seen with a calf of her own - which was also pink!

By Asmita S

July 26, 2019

Posted July 26, 2019

An extremely rare and famous pink dolphin, which became famous 12 years ago thanks to its color, has given birth to a pink calf of her own. When she was seen for the first time, the candyfloss-colored calf was swimming with her mom.

Captain Erik Rue had been the first to see the dolphin, endearingly called Pinky, in a river in Louisiana. She was recently spotted with a baby of her own. When Rue saw her, he described her swimming with other dolphins and mating. He said she was "very sexually active." He had called her "100 per cent pink" unlike other dolphins, which have pink bellies only.

"Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod. I feel very fortunate to have seen this incredible mammal and lucky to be able to work and live in the area where such a fantastic creature frequents. Our guests are always thrilled at the opportunity to spot such a unique mammal and we look forward to it being around for some time to come," said he to KATC.

He has been fascinated by her since he saw her. He believes she's one of the world's only dolphins with this color pigmentation. He claims to have seen her multiple times over the years, according to WGNO.

Now, recent footage showed Pinky with her calf. It was shared by a person named Thomas Adams and shows the pair jumping close to the boat. They were spotted in the Calcasieu ship channel in Louisiana, according to KATC.

The dolphin, who was spotted more than a decade ago, is a Pink River Dolphin, a species that has become almost extinct. The candyfloss coloring is believed to be a result of genetic mutation, according to Sun UK. Her species has been classified as "endangered to vulnerable". There are only tens of thousands left of them.

With the birth of Pinky's calf comes the hope that babies of pink dolphins would also have the same color as their mothers', increasing the population from its dismal state.

Pinky was first seen in 2007 swimming with her mother and has been seen many times since. In 2017, a couple spotted two pink dolphins in the ship channel. They had shared the video with KATC, adding, “It was amazing to see. Like I said we saw two but I couldn’t get both on video at the time. I was astonished.”

Initially, one dolphin jumped by and had their attention. While they watched a single pink dolphin leaped from the water. “My reaction, well I was in awe about it. It first came up straight out the water and I was like, ‘Whoa! That was a pink dolphin! Stop the boat!!'” Bridget Boudreaux said.

Pinky the Dolphin is albino, making her a rare breed. Her color has made her famous around Louisana and the country.

The pink river dolphin or Amazon River dolphin or Boto is a freshwater dolphin living in the waterways of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in South America, reports WWF.