Researchers from Jeju, Ewha Womans and Kyoto universities have confirmed Boksoon, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin released back into the wild off South Korea’s largest island of Jeju three years ago has given birth.
Sighted in waters off Seogwipo, 20-year-old Boksoon was among four other dolphins caught and sold illegally to dolphinariums in South Korea between 2009 and 2010. The latest birth marks the third case in South Korea of a released captive dolphin having a baby in the wild – Sampal and Chunsa in April and August of 2016, respectively.
11 dolphins were originally captured but the majority died. Boksoon, Sampal, Chunsam, Taesan and Jedol were rehabilitated in sea-pens off Jeju and released between 2013 to 2015 after the Supreme Court ruled in March 2013 that Jeju’s Pacific Land theme park and Seoul Grand Zoo had to surrender the dolphins which had been captured illegally.
