The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin is the most frequently seen marine mammal in the Gulf of Mexico.

Seeing a pink one however is extremely rare.

That is why I was excited to get a clip in my Facebook inbox of one of these beautiful animals provided by Matt Metzler. It shows a pink albino dolphin jumping in front of a boat off the Louisiana coastline.

In 2013 I captured footage of a pink albino dolphin in the ship channel near Cameron, La. This particular dolphin with the obvious nickname “Pinky” has been thrilling fishermen who encounter it for at least a decade after Capt. Erik Rue began photographing the creature on his charter trips.

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, a senior biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: “I have never seen a dolphin coloured in this way in all my career.”

“While this animal looks pink, it is an albino which you can notice in the pink eyes. Albinism is a genetic trait and it unclear as to the type of albinism this animal inherited.”

Some believe there are several “Pinkies” in the vicinity but little research has been done on the subject.

I have interviewed two people who claim to have seen pink dolphins from the ferry in Galveston, a three hour boat ride (in calm waters) from Cameron, La. The animal could certainly make that trek but there also could be more of them out there.

I will investigate more and let these video clips serve as a reminder of the beauty and mystery contained in the Gulf of Mexico. If you see such a creature by all means shoot photos and video but don’t chase or harass the animal.

This summer’s “Wild Gulf” program we have written about on these pages has been a big success. The number of comments and questions on stories we have ran have gotten the most response of any in recent memory.

The best part is the best part is yet to come.

Through September we’ll be making treks from the Florida Panhandle to Port Isabel to document by photo and video the unique species that inhabit Gulf waters.

“The Gulf of Mexico and its species do not get enough attention in the national and world spotlight,” said Kingdom Zoo’s Lauren Williams, an eighth grade wildlife conservationist.

“We are going to do our best to change that and at the same time let kids in our ‘Wild Wishes’ program take part in these adventures.”

Lauren is one of the kids we are working with in the program.

We will also be taking some of the kids from our “Wild Wishes” program to view some of these amazing creatures on the Gulf Coast. “Wild Wishes” grants exotic animal encounters for children who have a terminal illness or have lost a parent or sibling.

Be on the lookout for much more on from the “Wild Gulf” and for those mysterious pink dolphins along the coastline. E-mail chester@kingdomzoo.com if you across one of the “Pinkies” or simply see something interesting in and around the Gulf.

And if you happen to come across a stranded or sick marine mammal call 800-9-MAMMAL. The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network will give you instructions and if the situation is serious they will take action to help the animal.

To contact Chester Moore, email him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.