Endangered mother and baby Irrawaddy dolphins rescued from river in Myanmar

Two endangered Irawaddy dolphins were rescued from a river in Myanmar.

The mother dolphin and her calf were found by marine conservationists in the Bilin Township of Mon State at around 4:30 pm on October 5.

Photos show villagers holding the 5.6ft adult and her adorable 2.5ft calf. They loaded the pair onto a boat and moved them to deeper waters, fearing they may become stranded in the shallow river.

The rescue was completed shortly before 5pm - just in time for them to swim away at sunset.

Officials at the country's Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association said they are making extra efforts to protect the Irawaddy dolphin.

A spokesman added: 'Our staff found the mother and baby calf while they were carrying out conservation activities.

'Both were endanger of being trapped in the shallow water so they were moved by boat to a deeper area where they could swim away safely.'

The Irawaddy dolphin is found around the Gulf of Mottama, and near sea coasts and estuaries in parts of the Bay of Bengal in Southeast Asia.

They have large, melon-shaped heads and are similar to the beluga in appearance, though they are more closely related to killer whales.

Irawaddy dolphins are classified as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Their population is severely fragmented, and they are most vulnerable to threats such as bycatch and habitat destruction from human activities.

The Burmese non-government organisation Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) is carrying out conservation initiatives to help protect the dolphins.