AZUZ: Now, we're explaining a $5 million effort to save what's believed to be the most endangered marine mammal in the world and this is that animal. It's called a vaquita porpoise.
Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 30 of these animals left in the wild.
So Vaquita CPR, which stands for conservation, protection and recovery, is using this sea pen to try to capture the porpoises and then move them to captivity. They're getting help from the U.S. Navy which is loaning four bottlenose dolphins to the rescue effort.
If all goes according to plan, the dolphins will attempt to help find and shepherd the vaquitas into the sea pens. This has never been done before, and it's not easy because the vaquitas are shy. They tend to avoid boats and people.
Vaquita CPR has captured a vaquita in this operation, which begun over a week ago, but the animal had to be released because researchers thought it was too stress to stay in the pen. Vaquita CPR plans to continue this operation for another couple of weeks, in the hopes of capturing the animals, breeding them in captivity and eventually releasing them back into the wild.