For the third time since 2020, a pod of at least eight individuals of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins was spotted again in El Nido, Palawan during the regular marine monitoring and surveillance in the area.

Marshals of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - El Nido Managed Resource Protected Area (ENMRPA) reported the sightings for two consecutive days, from July 30 – 31, while they were on patrol at El Nido’s Seven Commandos Beach and Small Lagoon.

The dolphins were first seen in El Nido in September 2020, in which the Philippine Aquatic Red List Cetacean Committee had identified them as Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins. Another sighting was reported in 2022.

ENMRPA Protected Area Superintendent Mildred Suza said the presence of these species indicates that their habitat is intact and healthy; and that the office is geared towards conducting more frequent and intensified patrolling to ensure these dolphins and the rest of the rich biodiversity in El Nido are conserved and protected. (Photo and video from ENMRPA)