By Kang Gahui and Kim Young Shin

Two of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins at an aquarium in Seoul returned home to the seas around Jeju Island on July 18.

The two dolphins, Daepo (대포) and Geumdeung (금등), were illegally captured off the coast of Daepo-ri in Seoguipo-si City, Jeju, in 1997 and off Geumdeung-ri in Jeju-si City in 1998. They spent more than 15 years at the aquarium at the Seoul Grand Park.

In July 2016, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to release Daepo and Geumdeung back into the wild. The two dolphins started training to remind them of the skills needed to survive in the wild at a pool built near Hamdeok Port on Jeju on May 22 this year. After two months of training, they have successfully swum back into the seas of Jeju, their natural home.

*See Daepo and Geumdeung released from their pool back into the sea near Hamdeok Port on Jeju on July 18 in the video below.

The ministry and the Seoul government have released a total of seven Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, including Daepo and Geumdeung, back into Jeju’s seas. In 2013, Jedol (제돌), Sampal (삼팔) and Chunsam (춘삼) became the first cases in Asia for a dolphin to be returned to the wild. In 2015, Taesan (태산) and Boksun (복순) were returned to the wild.

So far, the dolphins have successfully adapted to life back in the wild seas. Jedol, returned to the wild two years before Taesan and Boksun, came to visit the two dolphins alongside 30 other wild dolphins at the time of their release. Last year, Chunsam and Sampal were all seen swimming nearby with their babies.



"The government will try to preserve and maintain the habitat for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in our seas and develop tourism programs to see dolphins in the wild rather than in aquariums,” said Kang Joon-Suk, vice minister of oceans and fisheries.

kgh89@korea.kr