Home2018JanuaryFirst-ever tagging of Amazon dolphins to boost conservation efforts

First-ever tagging of Amazon dolphins to boost conservation efforts

For the first time ever, WWF and research partners are now tracking river dolphins in the Amazon using satellite technology after scientists successfully tagged dolphins in Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia, attaching small transmitters that will provide new insights into the animals’ movements and behaviour and the growing threats they face. Eleven dolphins, including both Amazonian and Bolivian river dolphins – two of the four species of freshwater dolphin found in the world’s largest river system – have safely been tagged and researchers are already studying the incoming data. Despite their iconic status, little is known about the populations, habits or key habitats of river dolphins in the Amazon.

The river dolphins

While there are estimates of tens of thousands of river dolphins, the species are currently listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The tags will enable WWF and its partners to study where the dolphins go, where they feed, and how far they migrate. “Satellite tracking will help us better understand the lives of this iconic Amazonian species more than ever before, helping to transform our approach to protecting them and the entire ecosystem,” said Marcelo Oliveira, WWF Conservation Specialist, who led the expedition in Brazil.

Source: panda.org

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