May 13, 2010

Dophins in Peru: A biologist sees tourism as the way to conservation

While killing dolphins for their meat was made illegal in Peru in 1996, you can still find dolphin meat for as cheap as four soles per kilo in the black market. “Now, fishermen don’t touch the bottlenose dolphin, they hunt the darker dolphins instead,” says the German biologist Stefan Austermühle. “Once offshore, they cut out the meat in the ship’s hold and throw the bodies back in the sea to get rid of the evidence.” Austermühle has identified more than 1,500 dolphins off Peru's coast between Chorrillos and Paracas. (He also takes the amazing photos, shown above.) With an NGO formed with his Peruvian wife, they hope to start dolphin watching as a option for tourists and a strategy for dolphin conservation.

http://www.livinginperu.com/features-1382-environment-dophins-peru-local-ngo-sees-tourism-as-way-conservation


11 comments:

  1. I haven't seen a dolphin directly, I mean in their habitat, I've only watched them on tv. We know that they are very smart and play a important role in our ecosystem. I think The Tourism should be spread in Peru so that a lot of people can enjoy their magic and take into account about the importance of their lives.
    Joaquin

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  2. Nowadays the peruvians have to be carefull with our enviroment. One of most important thing that this report show us, is that we can make something productive only using our imagination and do something like promote the tourism without destroy our enviroment and specially with out kill the dolphins and other animals.
    Mily

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  3. Five or six years ago I have the oportunity to apreciate the pink dolphins in the Amazon river and in spite the dark water of this river I never could forget the marvelous movement of this mammal in its habitat.
    I don´t know about the big quantity of these beauty animals in our beaches and so near to routine lifes, and much less it images that the main defenders of the life of this marine species were people of other countries, anyway they offer us a new way for protecting these mammal and to get a new form for to increase the employment specially for fishermans.
    That is a clear message if we put hands in work, we could create new ways for protecting the ecosystem and generate value in the process.

    Written by: Israel Enríquez

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  4. Beauty in the dolphin's movements: The way the dolphin moves is elegant and, when he moves from one side to another (like in zig-zag), he makes it effortless. It looks really graceful.
    My opinion about the video: I think the dolphin watching will be a effort if it's made correctly. This will stop the haunting of dolphins and save their enviroment.

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  5. I didnt know dolphins live in our country, and as I know this I think it's a great idea for an special organization to look after this animals helping in their life development and taking care for their habitat. Finally, tourism in our country is increasing more and more and this helps to increase as well our economy.

    Written by: Ana Lucía Izquierdo

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  6. I think it is a great idea to tourism instead of hunting of dolphins. It is a good way of take care of them and in the same time promotes the tourism in our country. Hunting is a cruel act, so it is terrible to know that people kill dolphins and they sell them in the black market. They are humans like us.
    It is a great opportunity to see dolphins, where people can learn to appreciate these animals instead of killing them. In this way it can help to preserve them for a long time. At the same time, it is very important what biologist says, it should be done, but do well protecting the dolphins. On the other hand, this will help to fishermen who may gain from tourism, creating associations and training in order to give a good service, and not depend only on fishing that are not always enough to live.

    Written by: CESAR BARDALES ASTE

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  7. I saw dolphins 4 or 5 years ago with me friend in the Hotel The dolphins. In this time I thought how beautiful are these animals. Now, when I saw this documental I can't imagine how we can found people who kill them. I think that it's important help and protect the dolphins and all of the animals. We have to save our planet.
    Nicole Colmenares García

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  8. Organizations such as BLUE WORLD" make a fundamental mission to reeducate people operating in the tourism ecosystem. I fully agree that you can undertake a sustainable development plan allow dolphins care and improving the incomes of locals.

    It is important to raise awareness among tourists that don't harm dolphins during the trip they make, so too does the local government intervention and the Ministry of Environment.

    Linda Costas C.

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  9. I have seen dolphins 6 years ago in the hotel the dolphins and when the veia were beautiful and they it continue being. The dolphin is one of the animals mas beautiful and pacific that could exist, but lamentably there are people that they kill them, it is very fatal.

    The persons we have to have conscience and if we do not have to start it taking it as that is not possible that these defenseless animals die this way and nobody does anything, it is necessary to to create a law for the peru and the world where this prohibited that kill to the animals in general.

    Maca

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  10. I haven't seen dolphins but my father sees it when he works in the sea. he talked me about it and showed me photos and videos. its amazing. well, dolhins are incredible animals, we must for care it. if we don't do nothing for them, we can help organizations like "blue world". i saw that vidio about it in citybank, i think everyone can help in anyway.

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  11. It is good that Mr. Stefan Austermühle and his wife Nina Pardo have created this NGO (Mundo Azul) as this show us how to kill dolphins, which are very beautiful and friendly creatures, also show how we can prevent these fighters such that fishermen showing the habitat of various aquatic animals and encourage visitors to protect these animals and that some species are already endangered.

    Maria Escobar

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