Dolphins spotted in Newtown Creek, Bronx River

This marks the first time that dolphins have been spotted in this Brooklyn tributary since 2010, according to the Newtown Creek Alliance.

News 12 Staff

Jan 19, 2023, 10:57 PM

Updated 631 days ago

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Dolphins were spotted swimming in the Whale Creek Tributary in Greenpoint on Wednesday.  
This marks the first time that dolphins have been spotted in this tributary since 2010, according to the Newtown Creek Alliance. The Parks Department also says that dolphins were spotted in the Bronx River earlier this week.  
Video from Newtown Creek’s Instagram page shows two dolphins in the body of water for about 10 minutes. Brooklyn resident Wouter Von Quickelborne says he was the one who saw the dolphins, and he made his way over to capture the moment on his phone.  
Willis Elkins, who works at Newtown Creek Alliance, says while this is very unusual to see dolphins in this area, Newtown Creek has made progress over the past decade to improve pollution in this body of water, and he thinks that is leading to more wildlife moving into the area.  
Newtown Creek Alliance tells News 12 that anyone who sees a dolphin should not touch them or feed them. With the two separate dolphin sightings, health and environmental officials say this is a good sign that the ecosystem is becoming healthier.