The end

All good things come to an end and my internship with the HKDCS is over, already. I can’t even begin to account for all the things I’ve learnt during the two months. First of all of course there I added a new species to my personal list, which is so different from other dolphin species that I’ve already encountered. It not only differs in its appearance (it’s PINK!), but also in its behavior (the sometimes erratic surfacing patterns still gives me some trouble following the animals at times, and then there are the mysterious disappearances after a couple of surfacings). I learnt new boat- and land-based methods, protocols, and a computer program. I got to know many interesting survey areas and places with very different dolphin and human activities. To see the extent of the anthropogenic influences (including all the vessel traffic and construction work) really is remarkable, and yes, disturbing. And of course I met a whole bunch of new people. The team welcomed me heartily and made me feel included right from the start. I know it must have been a little annoying at times to repeat everything in English just because I don’t speak Cantonese ;) I did pick up some words, though, and although my Mandarin didn’t help at all, I’ll certainly consider learning more Cantonese in the future.

While I didn’t see any porpoises, I’m not sad. It was to be expected because they’ll only move further inshore closer to the beginning of winter.

I enjoyed my stay in Hong Kong at lot and although I didn’t see too much of the actual city, yet (which I will explore in the nedt 1.5 weeks), I really loved the “natural Hong Kong”. It is incredible how much nature there is to explore – and to protect! I’m confident the team will to do a great job continuing their efforts to conserve not only the precious dolphins but the whole environment.

Thanks for all the experiences and opportunities. While it’s time for me to go home and sort out my future plans, now, I certainly hope to come back one day!

Cheers and all the best and good luck with all that upcoming projects and obstacles,

Anke