Dolphin Bibong freed after 17 years in captivity
Dolphin Bibong has finally been freed after 17 years in captivity. The rescue operation demonstrates that a life in freedom is possible for dolphins.
The last Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin held in captivity in South Korea has been released back into the sea after 17 years.
The dolphin was released from an enclosure off the island of Jeju on Sunday.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the dolphin named Bibong had previously undergone approximately 70 days of training to adapt to the wild. The dolphin, now around 23 years old, was captured in 2005 and kept in a marine mammal park.
Experts had concluded that Bibong could be released into the wild despite the long period of captivity. He was reportedly the last dolphin of his kind living in captivity in the country. Since 2013, South Korea had released seven Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins back into the wild as part of a rewilding programme.
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) live near the coasts of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, often in groups of five to fifteen individuals. Human activities such as boat traffic and pollution pose a threat to them. Their life expectancy is approximately 40 to 50 years.
