Across China: Dabai the dolphin gets lost in Guangzhou

Who knows why a dolphin would leave its home in the Pearl River Estuary and swim upstream to the sprawling metropolis of Guangzhou, but last week, a Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) did just that.

The straying cetacean hit the headlines when it was spotted playing near a bridge in the heart of the southern city, nine days ago.

Excited onlookers named it Dabai, the Chinese name for the Marvel character known as Baymax in the West, the friendly white robot from hit movie "Big Hero 6".

The Chinese white dolphin is endangered and enjoys class-1 state protection. Dabai might be an overnight sensation, but the longer she stays in fresh water, the less likely it becomes that she will ever make it back to the sea. "Dabai's skin is showing signs of festering. We can see some yellow spots on it," said Yao Fang of Guangzhou fisheries bureau.

"No white dolphin has been seen so far in inland waters since 1991," said Chen Xi of the Pearl River Estuary Chinese white dolphin national nature reserve.Around 1,800 of these dolphins live around Lingding Island in the estuary, one of the most important habitats for the species.

Dabai may have lost her way chasing fish, or because her sensory sonar system has some problems due to old age. The average life of these dolphins is 30 to 40 years and Dabai appears to be around 25.

Although people have seen the dolphin jumping up from the water from time to time, it is not easy to locate her in such a huge river. The fisheries bureau has tried to track her, sending six speed boats in the hope of guiding her home, but all to no avail.

Over-fishing, water traffic and marine projects have all degraded the Chinese white dolphin's environment. The decline of offshore fisheries has caused a food shortage, so they must risk leaving the safety of the reserve to search for food, and face the possibility of losing their way or being stranded on the shore.

There are dozens of specimens of white dolphins in an exhibition room at Sun Yat-Sen University. Some were injured and killed by the propellers of high-speed passenger ferries, while others were accidentally trapped in fishing nets. In 2014 eight white dolphins were known to have died after swimming upstream.

Measures to protect the dolphins are in place, including rescue teams, preventing ships passing through the reserve, regular patrols and monitoring of the population, but Yao Fang wants more to be done to protect bio-diversity in the estuary and restore fish stocks.

"I'm very worried about Dabai. I hope she goes home to her family and friends as soon as possible," said a Guangzhou citizen who has tracked her for several days. Endi