The bright pink dolphin, first photographed in 2009 and nicknamed Pink, has become a local celebrity
A rare pink dolphin known to frequent a Louisiana lake may yet become a mother after the local fisherman who first photographed her in 2009 spotted her mating.
Known simply as 'Pinky', the bottlenose dolphin has become a local celebrity due to its extremely rare and stunning pink colouration, thought to be caused by a genetic fault.
However, Captain Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service claims to have recently seen Pinky mating - leading to speculation there may be more pink coloured dolphins on the way.
Mr Rue said nearly a decade after first spotting her, she can now be seen swimming on her own or with a pod of dolphins instead of alongside her normal-coloured mother.
'We still see her swimming almost every day in the summertime. We’ve seen her a lot in the last few weeks. She looks happy and healthy,' he said.
Mr Rue claims Pinky's whole body is '100 per cent pink' like that of most dolphins bellies.
Now he claims to have seen her mating, and said he was curious to see if she was pregnant and if so, what colour her calf would be.
When he first photographed Pinky in 2009, Mr Rue described seeing a 'stunningly pink' baby dolphin.
He said at the time: 'The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.
'I have spotted it about 40 to 50 times in the time since the original sighting as it has apparently taken up residence with its family in the Calcasieu Ship Channel.
'Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod.'
Mr Rue added: 'I feel very fortunate to have seen this incredible mammal and lucky to be able to work and live in the area where such a fantastic creature frequents.
'Our guests are always thrilled at the opportunity to spot such a unique mammal and we look forward to it being around for some time to come.'
When first discovered, she was always seen accompanying her mother (pictured). Now she travels either on her own or with a pod of other dolphins
