A dolphin calf found drowning in a tidal pool in Thailand is on the road to recovery after being lovingly cared for.

The Irrawaddy calf – sick and too weak to swim – was spotted by fishermen, who alerted marine experts, and taken to a specialist centre in Rayong.

Nicknamed Paradon, which roughly translates into ‘brotherly burden’, the dolphin was put in a seawater pool, treated for a lung infection, and watched round the clock by volunteers.

He had to be held up in his tank and fed milk through a tube.

Vet Thanaphan Chomchuen said: “We said among ourselves that the chance of him surviving was quite low, judging from his condition.

“Normally, dolphins found stranded on the shore are usually in such a terrible condition.

“The chances that these dolphins would survive are normally very, very slim. But we gave him our best try on that day.”

A month after being rescued, Paradon’s condition is improving.

Believed to be between four and six months old, he can swim again and has no signs of infection, though he is still weak and does not drink enough milk despite being fed every 20 minutes.

Veterinary Thanaphan Chomchuen, left, feeds Paradon with milk as Thippunyar Thipjuntar watches
Veterinary Thanaphan Chomchuen, left, feeds Paradon with milk as Thippunyar Thipjuntar watches (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

Thippunyar Thipjuntar, a 32-year-old financial adviser, is one of those volunteering to babysit Paradon.

She said with his round baby face and curved mouth that looks like a smile, she could not help but grow attached to him.

“He does not eat enough but rather just wants to play. I am worried that he does not receive enough nutrition,” she told The Associated Press as she fed the sleepy Paradon, cradled in her arm.

“When you invest your time, physical effort, mental attention, and money to come here to be a volunteer, of course you wish that he would grow strong and survive.”

Tosapol Prayoonsuk feeds Paradon
Tosapol Prayoonsuk feeds Paradon (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

Sumana Kajonwattanakul, director of the marine research centre, said Paradon will need long-term care, perhaps for as long as a year, until he is weaned off milk and able to hunt for his own food.

“If we just release him when he gets better, the problem is that he won’t be able to have milk. We will have to take care of him until he has his teeth, then we must train him to eat fish, and be part of a pod. This will take quite some time,” Ms Sumana said.

Irrawaddy dolphins, considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and illegal fishing.

Officials from the marine research centre believe around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins remain along the country’s eastern coast, bordering Cambodia.