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| The pink dolphin, known locally as bufeo, is Bolivia's only freshwater mammal species |
Bolivian
President Evo Morales has enacted a law aimed at protecting a unique species of
dolphins that live in the country's Amazon rivers.
The new
legislation bans fishing freshwater pink dolphins and declares the species a
national treasure.
At a
ceremony along the shores of the Ibare river, President Morales called on the
armed forces to protect the habitats of the pink dolphins
The species
is threatened by erosion, pollution and logging in the Amazon.
The
Bolivian pink dolphin, whose scientific name is Inia boliviensis, is similar to
mammals found in neighbouring Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Male
Bolivian freshwater pink dolphins can weigh up to 200kg (440 pounds).
An appendix
to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora
and Fauna (Cites) says the species is vulnerable because of overfishing in the
Amazon basin.
But it says
the main threat is the contamination of rivers in the region by mercury, used
in illegal gold mining operations.
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