March 5, 2009
Albino Dolphin in the Spotlight
BY: tmarshall
I didn’t think it was possible for bottle nose dolphins to get any cuter. Those smiles — they are the golden retrievers of the sea! But then again, I’ve never seen an albino dolphin. Pinky, the aptly named bubblegum-hued bottlenose dolphin, was recently spotted in a salt water estuary in Louisiana and is causing quite a stir. Tourists are flocking to Lake Calcasieu to catch a glimpse and snap a photo of Pinky, often seen near her gray mother. Though pink and not the typical white associated with albinism, Pinky’s eyes match her skin, tipping scientists off to her rare albino status.With Pinky’s extreme popularity, senior biologist at Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Regina Asmutis-Silvia, reminds us all that we “should be careful, as with any dolphins, to respect it – observe from a distance, limit their time watching, don’t chase or harass it.” I don’t want to harass — I just want to cuddle.