Endangered river dolphins die in Amazon drought
Over 100 endangered pink river dolphins have died in an area of the Amazon over recent days.
The deaths have raised concerns that increasing global temperatures could place them and other species in the region in jeopardy as severe drought affects the depth and temperature of the river.
The dolphins were found floating with thousands of dead fish at Lake Tefé where the temperature of the shallow water that is left after droughts there is now very high.
The exact causes of this mass die-off event are being investigated and could include contamination. But it is thought the main reason is water depth and temperature. The level of the Amazon, the world’s biggest river, has fallen by 30cm each day over the past two weeks, with Tefé being one of the areas worst affected by drought, which also has a big impact on the many thousands of people who live there.
Whales and dolphins help keep the ocean healthy, and a healthy ocean helps fight climate breakdown.
