Endangered dolphins halt sailing event in New Zealand

France SailGP Team helmed by Quentin Delapierre and Jason Saunders (SailGP/AP)

The presence of an endangered species of dolphins on the race course has prevented sailing on the first day of the New Zealand leg of an international competition.

The SailGP race venue on Lyttelton Harbour near Christchurch on the South Island is home to around 1,000 of the remaining 10,000 Hector’s dolphins, which are native to New Zealand.