Pinky the Dolphin and a friend. (Sea Way BLOG)

‘Pinky’ The Dolphin Returns To Louisiana

The story began back in 2007 when Captain Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service first spotted the mysterious pink bottle-nose dolphin, they affectionately named “Pinky”, while out fishing on his boat.  At first thought to be none other than an albino dolphin, experts now believe the unique coloring to be a result of a genetic mutation, causing the her to be 100% pink.  Rue says back in 2007 the pink dolphin was always seen swimming alongside its mother, but now, nearly a decade later and with her return, she swims alone the majority of the time, and on rare occasions alongside another pod of dolphins.

Ever since the day he first saw the mysterious dolphin, Rue says he’s been fascinated.  He believes that Pinky is one of the world’s only dolphins with this color pigmentation, although there are in fact 2 species of dolphins that portray pink coloration: the Chinese White Dolphin, which are found in China’s Pearl Delta River, in Southeast Asia and along the coasts of South Africa and Australia, and the Amazon River Dolphin, scientifically known as inia geoffrensis and found in the river systems of Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Pinky is an interesting case nonetheless, being that she has chosen to frequent a United States of America river system.  “We still see her swimming almost every day in the summertime.  We’ve seen her a lot in the last few weeks.  She looks happy and healthy.” said Rue.

Pinky the Dolphin (Youtube)

Making things even more interesting, Rue said he may have recently witnessed Pinky mating, so he’s curious to see if she’s pregnant, and if so, what color the dolphin calves might be.

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