Update: Twenty dead dolphins have now been found (May 1st)

Five pink Amazon river dolphins have been found dead in the Bagazán lagoon, in the Requena province of Loreto. Authorities suspect they were poisoned by fishermen who see them as a threat to their catch, as happens often in other parts of Peru by criminal individuals and fishing companies.

The Pink Amazonian River Dolphin is, which once lived in harmony with indigenous human tribes in the forest’s snaking rivers is increasing endangered as a species. In the last few decades as environmental destruction has spread due to oil companies as well as legal and illegal miners and loggers, the animal has disappeared from large parts of the Amazon and its tributaries. The pink dolphin is considered one of the most intelligent forms of life and has a brain capacity 40% greater than humans.

Although the animals are protected by law in Peru, the judicial system is too weak to find and prosecute most culprits.

Tags: amazon, amazon river, crime, fishing, pink dolphins