"Live Well": Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin 'Anmogi' Released Off Jeju After Four Months of Care

Four months of treatment and rehabilitation in Ulsan
'Bukangi' also unseen for 17 days

Anmogi, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, has returned to the sea after four months of treatment.

On the 12th, officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and others release "Anmoki" into waters near Yongmeori Coast in Sagye-ri, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju. Yonhap News.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it released Anmogi into the waters near Sanbangsan Mountain in Seogwipo, Jeju, on the morning of November 12. The release had initially been scheduled for November 10 but was postponed by two days due to weather conditions.

Anmogi has been seen off Gangneung Port (formerly Anmok Port) since last year. Under the Act on the Conservation and Management of Marine Ecosystems, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are a legally protected species designated as marine protected organisms. Unlike members of its species, which usually live in groups, Anmogi swam alone and followed vessels, attracting public attention.

Dolphins that leave their groups and grow close to people are occasionally observed overseas as well, and Anmogi was believed to be a similar case. Authorities waited for it to return to the open sea on its own. However, as it repeatedly approached ship propellers, it sustained injuries across its body, raising the risk of death. Authorities began a rescue operation on July 15.

After the rescue, Anmogi received four months of treatment and rehabilitation training in a tank at the Jangsaengpo Whale Ecological Experience Center, a specialized marine animal treatment facility. Authorities decided to release it after determining that its injuries had fully healed and that it had regained normal feeding and swimming abilities. Anmogi, which measured 230 cm in length and weighed 140 kg when rescued, now measures 236 cm and weighs 142 kg, and is in good health.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries transported Anmogi from Ulsan to the waters off Jeju using special equipment secured to a vessel, then released it after installing a floating structure known as a pontoon offshore. Although its original habitat is unknown, authorities chose the waters off Jeju, a habitat for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, as the release site, judging that Anmogi could naturally rejoin a group after returning to the sea.

Authorities plan to track Anmogi's movements for a while using a satellite tracking device attached to its dorsal fin. The device will transmit signals for one to three months before detaching on its own.

Meanwhile, Bukangi, a shark that entered an artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park last September and stayed for more than a month, left the waterway after authorities guided it out. It has not been seen for 17 days since October 27. Experts believe it moved to warmer offshore waters in the south as sea temperatures off Busan fell.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.