Fernando Trujillo’s 30-Year Journey: Tagging 60 Dolphins to Protect Amazon Ecosystem

Fernando Trujillo tags 60 dolphins in South America, monitoring their vital habitats. His work with Omacha Foundation supports Amazon conservation efforts. Dolphins serve as indicators of river health.

CONTENTS: Fernando Trujillo’s 30-Year Journey

• Trujillo enlisted Tikuna for navigation
• Trujillo learned survival from Tikuna
• Locals called Trujillo “Omacha”
• Dolphins monitor Amazon ecosystem health

Trujillo enlisted Tikuna for navigation

Fernando Trujillo’s 30-Year Journey

In 1987, Colombian marine biologist Fernando Trujillo began his journey into the intricate waterways of the Amazon to study the enigmatic pink river dolphin. This research endeavor was inspired by the late, esteemed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, whom Trujillo met at a seminar in Bogotá. When Trujillo sought advice on a research focus, Cousteau suggested studying the scarcely investigated river dolphins. Two years later, Trujillo embarked on his Amazon adventure by catching a ride on a cargo plane.

Raised in Bogotá, Trujillo arrived in Puerto Nariño, a village by the river, as a new graduate with what he described as the “arrogance of a university guy.” He quickly recognized that he needed the assistance of the local Tikuna people to navigate the complex terrain and observe the dolphins up close.

 

Trujillo learned survival from Tikuna

Fernando Trujillo’s 30-Year Journey: Fernando Trujillo described the Amazon to CNN as a “very aggressive environment, very difficult to survive.” He explained that the indigenous people taught him essential survival skills, including identifying different species, paddling a canoe, and navigating the forest.

Trujillo developed a profound connection with the freshwater dolphins and their habitat, uncovering that their numbers were declining due to overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. He noted that the Amazon hosts two types of freshwater dolphins: the Amazon River dolphin, or “pink dolphin,” and the smaller tucuxi. Both species play a crucial role as predators, maintaining the balance of fish populations. In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the pink dolphins as endangered, followed by the tucuxi two years later.

Locals called Trujillo “Omacha”

“The first year I arrived, I found 21 dead dolphins, so I knew I had to do something,” Fernando Trujillo told CNN. This realization led him to remain in the region and work closely with the locals, who began calling him Omacha, meaning “a dolphin that transforms into a man” in the Tikuna language. They believed he was a dolphin turned human to protect his kind.

In 1993, he named his conservation organization Omacha, aiming to safeguard dolphins and other endangered aquatic species and their habitats throughout South America. Trujillo reflected, “I came with a romantic idea to save the dolphins, but I realized they are just a part of a vast ecosystem. To protect them, I needed to protect the rivers, lakes, and other species like manatees, caimans, and also the people living here.”

Over the past 30 years, the award-winning scientist and his foundation have worked tirelessly to establish dolphin-friendly fishing agreements, rejuvenate wetlands, and facilitate the first global declaration to protect river dolphins in 2023. Trujillo has trained scientists across South America in dolphin surveying and conservation, and he has participated in numerous expeditions to assess freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity threats.

Trujillo emphasized that dolphins have been crucial in guiding his team’s ongoing conservation efforts wherever they go.

 

Dolphins monitor Amazon ecosystem health

Fernando Trujillo’s 30-Year Journey: Fernando Trujillo describes dolphins as “a kind of thermometer, a sentinel of the health of the rivers.” In recent years, the Omacha Foundation has tagged dolphins with satellite trackers to monitor their populations. “We have already tagged more than 60 dolphins in South America, including 27 in Colombia,” he told CNN.

The GPS trackers have enabled his team to pinpoint where dolphins feed, mate, and give birth, allowing for better protection of these critical areas. Currently, Trujillo is part of a two-year expedition with National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet, leading efforts to preserve dolphins and their ecosystems while supporting local indigenous communities.

“There are many challenges to working in the Amazon, and sometimes we are not very optimistic, but I think we can make a small difference,” he said. Despite the difficulties, Trujillo remains committed to conserving this valuable ecosystem and its inhabitants. “My dream is to protect the rivers and aquatic ecosystems of the Amazon; I truly believe that water is the future of this region and the planet.”