Gallery: Keeping watch for river dolphins

By Charlotte Martyn | 4 October 2022

Brazil’s Tapajós river follows a 2,000km course through rainforests, savannahs and cities before spilling into the mighty Amazon. As one of the few free-flowing tributaries of the Amazon it’s a rare haven for wildlife – but it’s under threat.

Plans for a series of hydroelectric dams could severely disrupt this precious waterway. River dolphins, already in decline, could suffer the most: unable to swim freely along the river they won’t be able to feed or breed effectively.

In spring 2022, we joined Reckitt and the Mamirauá Institute on an expedition to monitor not just the dolphins – both the pink dolphin and the tucuxi – but the health of the river itself.

The data collected on the trip is now being analysed to provide a full picture of the status of life in the Tapajós. The challenge will come in getting people to listen…

Exploring the Tapajós river

The researchers watched for dolphins for 12 hours a day
Some stretches of the Tapajós river pass through urbanised areas. such as the town of Itaituba
The condition of the shoreline affects the health of the river dolphins
Deforestation – caused here by construction of a fuel depot – can cause silt to enter the river
Changes in the course of the river threaten human settlements as well as wildlife
Fishing poses a threat to dolphins, both from net entanglement and depleting food stocks
The Tapajós river is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including this great white egret
Spotted at last! An Amazon river dolphin surfaces near the researchers’ boat
ALL IMAGES © ADRIANO GAMBARINI / WWF-BRAZIL

Find out more

To learn more about the threats facing the Amazon – and what you can do to help protect this precious landscape – visit our Amazon information page.

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