Have you heard about pink river dolphin? Maybe people are more familiar with dark grey colored one. As you imagine, this dolphin has the pale pink color and a flexible neck. Also they feed on fish or aquatic organisms. In Brazil, you can meet these beautiful dolphins in the waterway of the Amazon.

Pink dolphins known as "Boto" are different from those in the ocean they are limited to freshwater habitat. Their main habitat is throughout the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and they are adapted to Amazon environment, which are the areas of the largest river dolphin species across the world.

However, the botos are a lot in danger. Poachers hunt them and sell those meats to people who need a bait for a necrophage catfish. As this fish markets in Brazil have been bigger in the past few years, the tons of pink dolphins have been captured for catfish continuously. According to the research, over 2500 Botos are died from hunters in the Amazon regions and these dolphins would be disappeared in near future with continuous poaching. 

Interestingly, there is absurd reason for dolphins to be killed. Historically, people have believed that the boto has special powers so that suffered from human s hunting. Furthermore, fishing net, collision with boats or petroleum industry is also contributed to the reduction of their range. Unfortunately, Pink dolphins was nominated as "vulnerable species-threatened" at the list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and recently they are labeled as "endangered species-threatened".

Surprisingly, these friendly creatures have a long life up to 50 years. However it could not be advantage of their population because of low rate of reproduction and long period of care for babies. I reminded that I saw them in the zoo when I was young. They were smart, curious and social creatures living with us for a long time. I think myself if the human has a right to threat them and put them in dangerous situations. I hope that my descendents also could have an opportunity to see them.

Source : dolphins-world / the red alert