Efforts are underway to save the remaining river dolphins in Lake Tefé, located in the Amazon. Over the past week, more than 100 of these dolphins have been found dead. While the cause of the deaths is still unknown, experts believe it is closely related to the ongoing drought and the high temperatures in the lake water, which have reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit, as reported by CNN. This critical situation has also resulted in the death of thousands of fish. “The past month in Tefé has seemed like a science-fiction climate-change scenario,” said Daniel Tregidgo, a British researcher living in the region.
Researchers and activists are now attempting to relocate the remaining river dolphins, known as botos, from lagoons and ponds on the edges of the lake to the main part of the Amazon River, where the water is cooler. However, this process comes with complications, warns an institute researcher. “Transferring river dolphins to other rivers is not that safe because it’s important to verify if toxins or viruses are present” before releasing the animals into the wild, explained André Coelho. Disease and sewage contamination may also be contributing factors, according to another researcher cited in The Guardian. “This extraordinary species is already endangered—so losing so many individuals in such a short space of time is disastrous,” said Daphne Willems from the World Wildlife Fund.
The rising temperatures caused by global warming are reaching intolerable levels for certain species in some regions. The temperature of the Lake Tefé water is now equivalent to what a human would consider a hot bath. As major rainstorms cause flooding in parts of Brazil’s south, the north endures an unusually intense dry season. State officials have declared an emergency in the Tefé community, as waterways dry up, making transportation of supplies slow or impossible. This situation is expected to lead to increased prices and food insecurity in the region, according to the Guardian. Local officials are appealing to the Brazilian government for humanitarian aid. (Read more Amazon river stories.)
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