Few other animals except pigs and people have pink skin. Another species which boasts that peculiar distinction is the pink dolphin.
The pink dolphin exists in only two places in the world -- China and the wilds of the Amazon basin. The name stems from the cuddly looks of the adults, which are blessed with the bubble-gum-pink colouration that makes such a refreshing change from your average dolphin's dull blue.
Despite their many charms, pink dolphins are in decline. Only a smattering of rosy diehards still weaves through the bustling triangle of water that divides Hong Kong from the southern China industrial belt. The inner-city pink pod is thought to consist of just 100 or so members.
'It's a mega-city dolphin, yet for how much longer?' says Hong Kong conservationist Dr Martin Williams.
Few people in Hong Kong even registered the existence of the odd-coloured mammals with a weakness for shorelines until the early 1990s. Then, the government started 'reclaiming' land in the heart of pink dolphin habitat for the new airport.
The airport project had gathered too much steam to be stopped. So, the Hong Kong conservation group devoted to saving them, Dolphinwatch (www.hkdolphinwatch.com), has its work cut out.
Threats that the pink dolphins face span the spectrum, from pollution and overfishing to net entanglement, habitat destruction and boat traffic. If you want to support and see the pink dolphins, skip the 'pile-em-high, sell-em-cheap boats that go speeding into the dolphins' habitat', in the words of Hong Kong Dolphinwatch director Janet Walker.
For information on Dolphinwatch tours, email booking@hkdolphinwatch.com or orinfo@hkdolphinwatch.com. Or call Hong Kong (+852) 2984 1414.
Meanwhile, to buoy your interest, here are seven pink dolphin titbits.
1. Mystery clouds the reason for the pink dolphin's unusual colour. One theory propounded by scientists, who have few studies to use thanks to the shrinking population, is that it comes from consuming crabs and shellfish which have a red pigment to their muscle tissue. The pigment builds up in the skin, and the dolphins become pinker as they grow older.
2. According to legend, the pink dolphins of the Amazon change shape and impregnate young women on shore.
3. Picturesquely, the pink dolphin is also called the "Chinese white dolphin", the "speckled dolphin", even (mainland China) "giant sea panda".
4. The pink dolphin has a beak and a stocky body that weighs up to 284kg as an adult. That's big – about the same as a top-weight sumo wrestler.
5. Fond of sandy bays, the pink dolphin also loves resting and socialising with other members of its species. A slow swimmer, it can still chase off and even kill sharks.
6. The pink dolphin has a party trick that consists of lying on its side and waving its flippers.
7. The Hong Kong pink dolphin is even pinker than its South American cousin.
PS Dolphins in general sleep just below the surface of the water, often surfacing to breathe. They are also known to sleep with one eye open.
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