16 rare pink animals discovered after Amazon River changes
The discovery of 16 more rare pink dolphins has led experts to warn there could be more animals affected elsewhere.
Rare pink dolphins discovered dead
Ancient engravings uncovered
Thousands of people impacted
Pink dolphins are a rare sight in Brazil, so the discovery of 16 more carcasses in the Amazon River is “extremely worrying”, animal experts have warned.
They were found dead along with several other species of marine mammals a week ago. This recent find in the Coari region takes the total dolphin loss to at least 178, but that number is expected to rise. In a post to social media, Sea Shepherd Brazil raised concerns there could be more dead dolphins in parts of the country that aren’t being monitored.
The carnage has been linked to dramatic changes to the Amazon River's water level. Hot weather and the longest drought in the river's history, caused it to drop to its lowest point since 1902. Sea Shepherd said necropsies will now be carried out to confirm this was the cause.
Images of the discovery shared online have caused heartbreak. “It hurts my heart to see this happen,” one person wrote in Portuguese. “My God, where are we going to end with all this, it's saddening, all that we human beings have caused,” another said.
Escalating impact of climate change on wildlife
The dolphins are just the latest mass die-off caused by extreme weather. Last week, scientists reported the 2020 deaths of 350 elephants in Botswana were likely triggered by the ingestion of bacteria.
It's believed the disease was able to overcome the elephants' immune defences after they were weakened due to drought and a shortage of food.
Australia was the first country to record an extinction directly linked to climate change. The Bramble Cay melomys was confirmed to have been wiped out sometime between 2009 and 2011 after its only-known home was inundated by sea level rise. Critics say the extinction was entirely preventable, but Australia, which has the worst mammalian extinction record in the world, failed to act.
Other species endemic to Australia like koalas are expected to face growing pressure from climate change in the coming years. Events like the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires are expected to repeat more frequently, potentially killing many thousands of animals.
Drought is also known to impact the amount of moisture in gum leaves, which the animals feed on, and this can lead to dehydration and organ failure.
What are the other impacts of the drought in the Amazon?
Close to half a million people have reportedly been impacted by the drought, which is impacting communities around the world’s largest surviving rainforest.
Boats have been stranded, supplies are running low and villagers have been forced to cart water unprecedented distances from the river.
The Negro River is the largest left tributary of the Amazon. After its water level dropped, ancient engravings showing human faces and animals were revealed.
Last week archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira said while petroglyphs had been sighted before, the extreme drought had exposed a greater variety.
"The engravings are prehistoric, or precolonial. We cannot date them exactly, but based on evidence of human occupation of the area, we believe they are about 1,000 to 2,000 years old,” he said.
The European Commission has linked the drought to reoccurring heatwaves, high temperatures and low rainfall.
with Reuters
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