Drought-threatened pink dolphins under study in the Amazon
A team of biologists, vets and fishermen captured a rare freshwater dolphin in the Amazon to study, in the hopes of learning more about how to avoid drought-related deaths of the species. About 300 dolphins died last year during a drought in the Amazon, according to experts. - REUTERS
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00:00These rare freshwater dolphins, known for their striking pink color, are only found
00:05in the rivers of South America. But climate change and drought are threatening the species.
00:11Now a team of scientists in Brazil are studying the Amazon River dolphin, in the hopes of
00:15learning exactly how extreme conditions are changing their behavior.
00:202023 marked the longest drought in the Amazon rainforest's recorded history. Nearly 300
00:26of the dolphins died, with most of them in Brazil's Lake Tefe. Researchers believe low
00:31water levels during the drought led to high temperatures not suited for the dolphins.
00:37Lake Tefe reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit last September. It's now at 86 Fahrenheit, said
00:43a geosciences researcher at the Mamarão Institute.
00:47And slow reproductive cycles make their populations especially vulnerable to threats. A team of
00:53biologists, vets and fishermen recently caught a female dolphin in Lake Tefe to gather more
00:58information. They brought it ashore for blood tests and to insert a microchip to study the
01:05dolphin's behavior after being returned to the lake.
01:08Here's veterinarian Thais Carneiro Santos Rodrigues.
01:15This time we're aiming to place some satellite tracking tags that will not only show us the
01:19movement of these animals during the dry season, but we'll also be able to measure
01:24the temperature of the water and the depth at which these animals are. So this will show
01:33us how they behave during drought and how drought and climate change can alter the normal
01:37movements of these animals.
01:43Environmental activists have blamed the unusual conditions on climate change, which makes
01:47droughts and heatwaves more likely and severe. Global warming's role in last year's Amazon
01:52drought is unclear, with other factors such as El Niño at play.
01:57Miriam Marmentel is the project's head with the Mamarão Institute of Sustainable Development.
02:04She says studying the dolphins will reveal whether the impacts were due to temperature,
02:08pollutants or a combination of issues.