Dolphins seen carrying dead calves off Jeju raise concern

Two Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins were seen carrying dead calves off Jeju Island this week, raising alarms for environmental activists. According to Oh Seung-mok, director of Docu Jeju, the dolphins were spotted off Jeju’s northeastern coast around 3 p.m. Wednesday (July 8), with other dolphins swimming nearby. The calves’ differing levels of decay suggested they may have died three to four days apart, and Oh estimated both were less than a year old. No fishing lines, marine debris, or other visible hazards were found, leaving the cause of death unknown. With about 120 dolphins estimated to live around Jeju, the article notes that four calf deaths have been found around the island this year, compared with five calf deaths across all of 2025, prompting calls for close monitoring of habitat changes potentially linked to human activity and marine conditions.