According to the Latin American Herald Tribune,  some 20 pink dolphins were apparently poisoned and killed  in Bazagan Lagoon in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. These pink dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) are believed to have been poisoned by fishermen to keep them from damaging their fishing nets.  The bodies of the cetaceans, between adults and young specimens 2 to 3 meters (6 1/2 to 10 feet) long, were found floating in Bazagan Lagoon, Requena province, in the northeastern region of Loreto, the Lima daily said.  Any attempt to kill these animals is stipulated as an environmental crime in the Peruvian Criminal Code.

The pink dolphin is indigenous to the Amazon River and its tributaries in Guayana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.  According to the International Society for the Preservation of the Tropical Rainforest, of the five freshwater species of dolphins in the world, the pink Amazon River dolphin, Inia geoffrensis, or “bufeo colorado” as they are known in Peru and  “botos” as they known in in Brazil, are considered to be the most intelligent. 

These friendly, sensitive, mammals with a brain capacity 40% larger than that of humans, who have lived in harmony with the people of the Amazon and its tributaries for centuries, now face extinction in some tributaries. What was considered to be one of the least threatened species of dolphins 20 years ago, has now become one of the most endangered species due to the accelerated and commercialized rape of the Amazon basin and the destruction of the South American tropical rainforest.

Pink Dolphin Physical Description

Size: 2.5 to 3 meters (8.25 ft to 9.75 ft) and 90 kilograms (200 lbs.). Males are generally larger.

Habitat and Distribution: Tributaries and main rivers of the Orinoco River systems of South America. They tend to gather at confluences of rivers.

Reproduction: Calves can be born between July and September, but in front of Dolphin Corners, our lodge becomes a nursery for calves during December-February. Calves are born about 75 cm (30 in.) long, and weighing just over 1 kg. (2.2 lbs.) after a gestation period believed to be nine to twelve months. Sexual maturity in males is reached when they are about two meters (7 ft.) long, and females at 1.7 meter (5.5 ft.) at an unknown age

  Diet: Crustaceans, catfish and small fresh water fish. A unique characteristic of Inia geoffrensis is the unfused vertebrae in its neck, which allows for the 180-degree head turn, giving them greater flexibility in floodplain forests, grassland, tributaries and shallow waters. They have a hump on their back instead of a dorsal fin.

Coloration: The reasons for the unique coloration of Inia geoffrensis are poorly understood, but the presence of capillaries near the surface of the skin probably accounts for much of its characteristic pink flush. Other factors may include age of the animal, chemical disposition of the water (especially iron content), and the temperature of the water.

Popularity: 10% [?]