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Naomi Ng

China’s baiji dolphin is almost extinct, but there’s a way to catch a glimpse of it up close in Hong Kong.
The Science Museum and Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society on Friday launched a digital installation with the help of its Japanese creators that showcases five types of whale and dolphin in a “virtual aquarium”.
By projecting life-sized, 3D imagery of the animals onto a wall, the installation allows visitors to interact and learn about the marine mammals without heading into the wild.
LightAnimal, the company that developed the system, hopes the exhibition will help eventually replace zoos and aquariums and their need to keep animals in captivity.

“I hope it will show the importance of marine life, that we should save them,” said company director Haruyoshi Kawai, 49. “I think this will change little by little.”
Activists argue forcing animals into an artificial habitat has a negative impact on both their mental and physical health.
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The company, which is showing its work in Hong Kong for the first time, has also taken the installation to the United States and Britain since it was created in 2006.
The system recreates marine animals rarely seen in the wild as well as some that are nearly extinct, and projects them onto walls.
The five on display are the humpback whale, killer whale, spinner dolphin, Chinese white dolphin and the “functionally extinct” baiji, which lacks sufficient potential breeding pairs to survive.

Play with and learn about dolphins and whales up close at this new “virtual aquarium” in #HongKong pic.twitter.com/vXf6ag2Nnv
— Naomi Ng 吳家殷 (@ngnaomi) April 19, 2019

The graphics for the baiji and the white dolphin were specially created for the Hong Kong exhibition, as their habitats are in China’s Yangtze River and Hong Kong respectively.
The baiji, nicknamed the Goddess of the Yangtze, was declared functionally extinct by scientists in 2006 after an expedition failed to find any in the wild.
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It has been driven to the brink by pollution, overfishing and urbanisation around the Yangtze River, including construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower project. The last sighting was in 2002. In Hong Kong, the white dolphin population was at a historic low between April 2017 and March 2018, with only 47 spotted.

A team of about 15 members and volunteers from the Dolphin Conservation Society will be on site at the installation to reel off facts about all the animals, their behaviour and threats they face in the wild.
Kawai and another creator will watch via a closed-circuit television camera mounted on the ceiling, to monitor how visitors interact with the graphics, manipulating the movements of the mammals from a control room.
For example, when a visitor turns in circles in front of a spinner dolphin, the image will spin in response.
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Taison Chang Ka-tai, chairman of the society, said the exhibition was important to help kick-start debate in Hong Kong and Asia on the ethics of keeping and breeding animals in captivity.
“Awareness of this issue and the debate is much more prominent in the United States, but is seldom raised in Asia and Hong Kong,” Chang said.

“We want to prove that we can use high technology to create a popular attraction for kids that you can interact with, on top of educating them.”
The installation will be open for four days from Friday over the Easter weekend at the Science Museum in East Tsim Sha Tsui from 10am to 9pm. There will also be special 15-minute showings four times a day with a more comprehensive storytime element for children.


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Conservation

China’s baiji dolphin is virtually extinct, but hi-tech Japanese imagery is bringing a virtual version to life

A dolphin comes to life in East Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Visitors exhibit the ‘FreeD whale life’ interactive exhibition launched by Dolphin Conservation Society in conjunction with the Science Museum in East Tsim Sha Tsui. 19APR19 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

(L-R): Haruyoshi Kawai, Director/Animator at Light Animal and Keisuke Saikai, Digital Creator at Light Animal work on the ‘FreeD whale life’ interactive exhibition launched by Dolphin Conservation Society in conjunction with the Science Museum in East Tsim Sha Tsui. 19APR19 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

The Hong Kong Science Museum is playing host to a digital installation showcasing five types of whale and dolphin in a ‘virtual aquarium’


The Hong Kong Science Museum is playing host to a digital installation showcasing five types of whale and dolphin in a ‘virtual aquarium’.


Chinese white dolphin