According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the dolphin named Bibong had previously undergone about 70 days of wild adaptation training. The now 23-year-old dolphin was caught off Jeju in 2005 and is kept in a marine mammal park.
According to Yonhap, experts concluded that Bibong could be released into the wild despite being in captivity for a long time. It was the last dolphin of its kind to live in captivity in the country. Since 2013, South Korea has released seven Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins back into the wild as part of its re-entry program.
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) live on the coasts of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans, usually in groups of five to 15 individuals. They are at risk due to human activities such as boat traffic and pollution. Their lifespan is around 40-50 years.
(SDA)