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Leopold Chen

A dead porpoise, suspected to have been carrying a stillborn calf, was discovered in Hong Kong waters on Tuesday.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it had retrieved the carcass, which was identified as a finless porpoise, in the waters near Ap Chau, one of the city’s outlying islands, on Tuesday evening.
It added that a necropsy would be conducted by veterinarians, with the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation to also investigate. The park confirmed it would assist with the case.
The mammal was spotted by boat captain Vincent Tong Chi-kin near Ap Chau in the morning. His vessel was conducting coastal clean-up work for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
“We spotted a grey-black object when steering from Lai Chi Wo to Ap Chau. It turned out to be the body of a mammal when we got close,” he said.
He added that the six-foot (1.8 metres) carcass was intact, with no visible scratches.
“A closer look, I suspected there was a calf under its abdomen, as I saw a small fin from it,” he said.
Tong reported the case to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department immediately, and later saw marine police searching for the mammal about an hour afterwards.
“I feel upset because it is miserable. Working at sea, I bump into dolphin carcasses once or twice every year,” he said.
Professor David Baker, director of the University of Hong Kong’s Swire Institute of Marine Science, told the Post that judging from the photos taken at the time of its discovery, the mammal’s abdomen had bloated from decomposition, which caused it to float upside down.
“[There is] no evidence of a collision from the ventral side, but we cannot see the dorsal side, which would be the usual impact area in a boat or propeller collision,” he added.
According to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, finless porpoises can be found in the eastern and southern waters of Hong Kong, with an estimated 200 living in the Pearl River Delta.
In September 2025, authorities found the body of a whale in Mirs Bay, but the carcass was too decomposed for experts to determine the cause of death.


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Health & Environment

Boat captain, who spotted dead finless porpoise near outlying island, believes the mammal was carrying a calf


Boat captain, who spotted dead finless porpoise near outlying island, believes the mammal was carrying a calf.


Ocean Park

Dead porpoise with suspected stillborn calf found in Hong Kong waters

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Boat captain, who spotted dead finless porpoise near outlying island, believes the mammal was carrying a calf

Boat captain, who spotted dead finless porpoise near outlying island, believes the mammal was carrying a calf