pinky

by alissaleonard

 

In June 2007, Captain Erik Rue of the Calcasieu Charter Service saw something that knocked him sideways. In Lake Calcasieu, Louisiana, alongside a small cluster of bottlenose dolphins, was something that looked distinctly pink. As if someone had painted a dolphin fuschia.

It was in fact an albino dolphin, the only one known to exist in the world. There are other pink dolphins, known as Botos, found in the Amazon River, but Pinky (as he’s become known) is his own unique self. And, inevitably, he’s becoming something of a tourist attraction, so much so that local environmentalists are warning tourists to give him a wide berth. Let’s hope they do. RM

Images: Calcasieu Charter Service, CatersNews