Dolphins from "Boogie Down" play in the Bronx River

 

The parks department tweeted on Thursday that dolphins had been seen swimming in the Bronx River and praised the discovery as evidence of the city's healthy waters.

On Monday, nick banko, an Instagram user, posted a video of some dolphins having fun in a part of the river close to Starlight Park.

Okay, I need some answers, read his caption. Someone, if you're from the Bronx and are familiar with this park, please explain to me why the f—- dolphins are in the f—-ing park.

It’s true—dolphins were spotted in the Bronx River this week! This is great news—it shows that the decades-long effort to restore the river as a healthy habitat is working. We believe these dolphins naturally found their way to the river in search of fish.
(Video: Nick Banco) pic.twitter.com/40ZNgBjJZs

— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) January 19, 2023

 The parks division subsequently published his video and clarified why having the dolphins come was beneficial.

The tweet stated, "This is wonderful news – it demonstrates that the decades-long campaign to restore the river as a healthy environment is succeeding." "We think that these dolphins came to the river spontaneously in quest of fish."

The dolphins in the video were "common dolphins," according to biologist Howard Rosenbaum of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and they didn't seem to be in any trouble.

"We've come a long way over many decades of environmental improvement, water quality cleaning, better environmental stewardship, and better relationships," he said. All of these things benefit the environment as a whole and then help these systems recover. I think it's wonderful that these things are taking place, and I hope that the overall environmental recovery for these urban waterways continues. I also hope that we continue to observe flourishing habitats for marine wildlife and prey.

Kenny Burgos, an assemblyman whose district includes the park, made light of the idea of making time off work to attend dolphin watching.

This week's dolphin sightings in the city weren't limited to the Bronx. A different video showing two dolphins swimming in the contaminated river north of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was posted on Instagram by the Newtown Creek Alliance. If they were the same dolphins seen in the Bronx was not known.

"We want you to make these dolphins feel welcome at the Boogie Down! Give them your whole attention and leave them alone to ensure that they enjoy their stay," the parks agency tweeted.

The agency's jocular tone marked a dramatic change from 2013, when a dolphin perished in the Gowanus Canal while swimming there. A later necropsy revealed the dolphin had health issues unrelated to the infamously dirty Superfund site.

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