From the Archives: Amazonas, Brazil 2011
Amazonas, Brazil 2011
My first introduction to the Amazon :)
During the summer of 2011, at the age of 21, I travelled down to Brazil to do a volunteer program that was centered around the study and documentation of the Amazonian Pink River Dolphin, known as the Botos. I was feeling such a strong call prior to this venture to do some volunteer work with dolphins, so when I came across this particular program, my heart lit up with excitement. It felt like something that needed to be done
I flew to Manaus, where I caught a plane to a little village called Tefe, where I hopped on a little boat to travel a few hours up the river to the base that would be my home for a month. No electricity, no contact with the outside world, no people - aside from the little tribes that were scattered about the river’s edge, and copious amounts of animals (mosquitos included), I was in my glee!
My days consisted of 8 hour long sessions boating around the different river systems tracking, tagging, photographing and documenting the Pink River Dolphins, known as Botos. There were 2 other researchers/biologists who were studying the dolphins so I had an opportunity to learn a lot about the elusive dolphin’s behavior and life. On days that we were based on the floating house/boat, we’d upload the data and make notes of which familiar animals were around, and where, and also documenting any new animals that had come into the reserve. Dolphins that were previously documented and recorded had been branded at some point - I was ensured that the process was not too painful due to the blubbery exterior of the dolphins. Undocumented dolphins bore no branding however, the researchers would take note of certain markings, cuts, shapes of the dorsal and flukes. If the animals were seen long enough, they were caught, tagged, samples would be collected, then released.
We also spent time documenting another dolphin species native to the Amazon known as the Tucuxi. The Tucuxi resemble Bottlenose dolphins (although much smaller with cute pink bellies) and can be found in small pods. They haven’t evolved the same way as the Botos since their arrival into the Amazon was much later so they still look like the traditional ‘Flipper’ dolphin, just a miniature version.
The Botos tend to roam solo and have evolved differently to the Tucuxi since their arrival into the Amazon was just as the Andes Mountains rose. It is said that they arrived in the Amazon from the Western part of the continent and became trapped in the waterways when the mountains emerged. Due to their early arrival in the Amazon, evolution endowed them with their famous funky design, which has enabled them to be extremely flexible so that they are able to easily weave through the flooded forests to feed. Something I learned as well is the male Botos tend to show more pink pigment and the females are grey - this knowledge assists the researchers and biologists in being able to easily identify the sex of the dolphin.
I also learned about the threats these animals face - humans. It was explained that in Peru, there’s a type of fish that is considered a delicacy but is a bottom dwelling fish, and these fish are known to eat the carcasses of the Botos. The researchers explained to me that the Brazilians would travel around the water ways and trap the dolphins (I don’t think I need to go into further detail with respects to what they do with the dolphins here…). If, for whatever reason, the hunters were not able to deal with the dolphin right then and there, they will tie up the animal and come back at a later date to finish the terrible deed.
While the area is protected, it is a vast area and not all places can be monitored all the time so a lot of things go under the radar. The researchers explained that they had indeed come across Boto traps - some included dead dolphins and on a very rare occasion, one that was still alive (that they would inspect and release, with great haste). They explained to me that, due to the dolphin’s unique bodily design, they have been known to untie themselves (when tied by the tail) so the hunters take extra measures to ensure that the dolphins cannot escape. It was heart-wrenching reality to learn of this as I had no prior knowledge of this particular threat that these dolphins faced….Trying to see the cup as half full, I was reminded that there are researchers, biologists, environmentalists etc. who were trying to raise awareness, monitor the waterways as best as they can and slow down this threat as much as possible.
All in all, it was an incredible learning opportunity. I’m so grateful and humbled by that experience and introduction into the Amazon Jungle. The memories will stay with me for the rest of my life <3
Images below were taken from the plane as I was flying into Manaus:
I arrived in Manaus in the afternoon and my flight to Tefe was the following morning. With some time on my hands, I decided to explore the nearby area - this was before all the tech GPS phone apps and I’m really not savvy with directions so I made sure that I didn’t wander too far. I also don’t speak Portuguese so asking for help was a no-go as well. Luckily, the hostel I was staying in was close to the main square and the Opera House so I went to scope it out.
The following morning, when I arrived in Tefe, I was picked up by one of the researchers (who thankfully spoke English). We spent the day walking around the small village, had lunch with some of her friends, watched the sunset on the river while enjoying a cold brew.
Early the next morning, we made moves to the market to stock up on fresh supplies for our mission into the jungle that was to come in a few hours.
And finally, the jungle….
