Brazil. Amazonia. Drought. They found more dead pink dolphins

The nonprofit Sea Shepherd Brazil reported on Friday that 16 Amazon pink dolphins were found dead in the Coari River region of Brazil (Inia geoffrensis). Seven of them were young.

Experts from the organization believe that the death of these mammals is a disturbing event that may indicate that these dolphins are also dying en masse in other parts of the Amazon that are not monitored. It is believed that the greatest drought in over a century is responsible for the death of mammals.

In addition to the 16 Amazon sotalia, Sea Shepherd researchers also found three dead Amazon sotalia (Sotalia fluviatilis) and four more dolphins of an unidentified species.

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The Amazon is struggling with a massive drought that is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and destroying the jungle ecosystem. According to the civil defense agency in the state of Amazonas, the disaster affects over 480,000 inhabitants of the region. Some areas recorded the lowest rainfall totals between July and September in more than four decades.

Water levels in parts of the Amazon River have recently dropped to their lowest levels in over a century. Scientists believe that months of drought have caused the water in some areas of the river to heat up to temperatures unsuitable for pink dolphins to live. Thousands of fish have also died in recent weeks in Amazon tributaries due to a lack of oxygen in the water.

According to Sea Shepherd, a total of 178 pink dolphins have died since September this year, mainly in the Tefe River region, representing 10 percent of the species’ population. The slow reproductive cycles of the Amazon pine make their populations particularly vulnerable.