A Guiana dolphin, a species that lives in the Amazon, leaps from water. Photo: Unsplash
Over 100 dolphins were found dead in the Brazilian Amazon after water temperatures soared to over 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to reports from the Mamirauá Institute, a research facility funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, the dolphins have been washing up in Lake Tefé over the last few days. The record-high temperatures in the lake were accompanied by a historic drought in the Amazon.
“It’s still early to determine the cause of this extreme event,” the institute said, “but according to our experts, it is certainly connected to the drought period and high temperatures in Lake Tefé, in which some points are exceeding 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).”
The Amazon is the largest waterway on Earth, so the hot tub-like temperatures are affecting huge numbers of plant and animal species. Thousands of fish have died in recent weeks, as well. Rescuers are attempting to save surviving dolphins by removing them from Lake Tefé and transferring them into nearby lagoons and ponds that are a little cooler. It is, however, an extremely remote area, so would-be rescuers are struggling. There is another hazard, too.
The Tefé River feeds into Lago Tefé, the site where over 100 dolphins died. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
“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],” André Coelho, a researcher at the Mamiraua Institute, told CNN Brasil.
The drought is expected get worse in the coming weeks, leading authorities to worry about the fate of even more dolphins.
