F9C22 gets fish from a staff member at the Yangtze River Dolphin Aquarium. (Photo courtesy of Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation)

Wang Kexiong, head of the cetacean research group at the Institute of Hydrobiology, said trainers started to feed F9C22 fish after they received 10,000 kg of fresh fish donated by enterprises in Wuhan to F9C22's family on Oct. 24, 2022, International Freshwater Dolphin Day.

On Feb. 25, 2023, F9C22 successfully caught and ate a small fish, which excited her trainers.

Wang Kexiong noted that female Yangtze finless porpoises reach sexual maturity when they are about 6 years old. After she turns 6, F9C22, the second generation of her species bred in an artificial environment, is expected to contribute to the reproduction of the third generation of Yangtze finless porpoises.

F9C22 gets fish from a staff member at the Yangtze River Dolphin Aquarium. (Photo courtesy of Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation)

The population of Yangtze finless porpoises has reached 1,249, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on Feb. 28, 2023.

"Monitoring data indicated that the population of Yangtze finless porpoises has been declining over the past more than 40 years. The recent result marks a transformative change and the first rebound of the species' population," said Wang Ding, council chairman of the Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation.

editor: Xie Yuan