More than 38 dolphins have died in the Amazon River after water temperatures reached 9.<> degrees Celsius. The Amazon's situation has been extremely dire lately, due to historic droughts and rising water temperatures to new heat records.
The four missing indigenous men were taken to a hospital in Colombia after being found in the Amazon// Reuters
The unfortunate disaster occurred in Lake Tepe, where the dead dolphins were found, in one of the lakes formed by the river and tangential to it. The mass deaths that have occurred over the past seven days have caused great concern among climate scientists, who characterize the case as further evidence of the severe impact of the human factor on the environment, and the severe drought in the river.
Climate impacts harm animals and humans
The Brazilian research institute Mamirauá, which is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, said of the unusual event: "It is still too early to determine what caused this serious event, but according to our experts, there is definitely a connection between the event and the severe drought and water temperatures in the lake, which reach 39 degrees Celsius."
The Amazon, the world's largest waterway, suffers from severe drought and little precipitation. Accordingly, the temperature of the water increases, due to the influence of climate and drought, and the animals whose lives depend on the source of water or who live in them have begun to show significant evidence of suffering.
Amazon River in Brazil. The drought is making things difficult for the animals as well as the people living nearby, Photo: GettyImages
In this context, various nature activists and researchers are working on a special operation aimed at extracting the river dolphins from warm places such as Lake Tepe and other lagoons and transferring them to the main stream of the river where the water is colder. However, since this is a remote area and difficult to reach, it is a complex procedure. In addition, a researcher from the Mamirauá Research Institute explained that there are difficulties in transferring dolphins because it is necessary to check before the process of transferring them that there are no viruses on them that could harm the new and cold environment to which they will be transferred.
Meanwhile, the severe drought in the Amazon affects not only the animals in the river but also the people who live nearby and depend on it. According to reports from 59 municipalities adjacent to the river, the water level has dropped greatly due to the drought, making it difficult for fishermen to move through and harming their livelihoods.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us