Sep 10 (ABC News): A rare pink dolphin appropriately nicknamed Pinkie has been discovered to be female. A charter boat captain spotted the rosey-colored mammal mating in Louisiana waters two weeks ago.
“I’ve taken a ton of pictures of her mating and it proved she’s a female,” Capt. Erik Rue told ABC News. “I believe I’m first one who saw her and I know I’m the first one to take pictures of her.
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve spend a lot of time following her around.”
Rue, a charter boat captain at Calcasieu Charter Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said he was shocked when he saw Pinkie for the first time in June 2007. He was with four others on board his charter.
Since then, Rue said Pinkie’s become a local celebrity. People are taking trips on Rue’s charter hoping to get a glimpse of her.
“I think many are a bit surprise when they actually see it and it’s actually bright pink like we’ve told them,” Rue said. “They say ‘Oh my gosh it’s really pink.’ They are surprised that it’s just the way we described it to them.
“It’s very stunning to look at,” he added. “Everyone whips out their cell phones to try and capture a picture, or video of it and of course we accommodate.”
Rue described Pinkie as a curious dolphin who occasionally swims within five to 10 feet of his boat. While he recently discovered that she is a female dolphin, Rue said it’s unclear where exactly she got her unique hue.
“Dolphins have pink bellies, so I just kind of started of thinking that this is a genetic glitch,” he said. “If it was albino I believe it would be white. I’ve changed what I thought over time, as I analyzed the pictures I have. Other than it being pink and her eyes not opening all the way, it’s a perfectly normal dolphin and does all the things the rest of them do.
“It’s interesting to know things like that exist in the world and it’s really beautiful to see that.”
The World Wildlife Fund said they’re not able to identify Pinkie’s species type, but there is a freshwater species of dolphin, known as the Amazon River dolphin, that is naturally pink in color.
Rue said he plans on compiling photographs of Pinkie into a coffee table book.