Meet some of the dolphins

While the park is home to many wonderful pink humpback dolphins and irrawaddy dolphins, we will limit the introductions to the dolphins that provide the visitors of the "swim with the dolphins pool" their once in a lifetime experience.

Let's follow the example of this kind foreign gentleman and start by saying hello to Mr. John and Mrs. Yod (Jod), the first and foremost inhabitants of this pool. Yod and John are officially called Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins, but almost everyone refers to their species as Pink dolphins.

Pink dolpins are actually gray at birth, but gradually turn pink with age. In 2005 (Thai Year: 2548) Mrs. Yod turned 38, while Mr. John was 39, making them a middle aged couple that still enjoy each other's company.

On wildlife preservation web sites we read: "Conservationists say irrawaddy dolphins, along with lions and tigers, are among the most sought after items on the black market, with the demand for the species threatening their survival."

We should therefore be extra thankful to the fisherman that choose to bring the accidentally caught irrawady dolphins to the park, in stead of trying to make huge profit them on the black market. However, the WWF tells us there may be another reason that fisherman are fond of these mammals: "In several places, the Irrawaddy dolphin has been known to develop special relationships with local fishermen. In the Ayeyarwaddy River (after which the species is named, when it was still called the irrawaddy river), they are reported to help drive fish into nets, in return for a share of the catch."

There are currently four Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) that enjoy playing and swimming with people. There is Narak (lovely), Honey, Goi and Sutsakorn. As all of these dolphins were accidentally caught in open sea, their age in unknown.

Their shape, in particular the lack of a beak, makes them different from other dolphins. This blunt head with the nearly round mouth make it appear that an Irrawaddy dolphin is always smiling. This feature is well exploited during the fantastic dolphin show that starts on every hour in the main basin in Oasis Sea World.

The Irrawaddy dolphin inhabit coasts, estuaries and rivers of southeast Asia and northern Australia. They are found in warm shallow coastal waters and sometimes in rivers as far as 1,300 km inland from the sea. In nature irrawaddy dolphin is shy and will not swim alongside boats or humans, and when frightened they can dive underwater for 12 minutes.

Narak and Honey seem to have lost all of their shyness as they keep bringing on "kisses" and carry visitors back and forth throughout the basin, but Goi was quickly renamed to Lazy, after he got tired of playing even before the clock struck 2 pm.