Discovering the projects supported in Brazil.
For almost five years, I have been working as an animal keeper with the dolphins at Planète Sauvage, a zoo that has been supporting YAQU PACHA for many years. My job is to look after the animals' welfare on a daily basis, but also to participate in research and science and to raise awareness among as many people as possible about the protection of these species in their habitat.
I communicate with visitors every day and explain to them the importance of in-situ and ex-situ conservation work. As the problems caused by human activities in the sea are becoming ever greater, it is becoming more important every day to find new solutions to protect animal species, help wildlife, and preserve it.
But what about the projects we support on site every day?
I had been asking myself this question for some time. I wanted to see with my own eyes how the projects are implemented on site and where the money goes.
So I got the chance to travel to Rio Grande in southern Brazil for a month to see what YAQU PACHA's projects are all about. I took part in an internship to learn about YAQU PACHA's various species conservation projects and their daily work. The whole thing was in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio Grande FURG.
My stay began at CRAM FURG (Center for the Care of Marine Animals), where I was able to participate in the following activities.
Caring for the animals at the center (turtles, penguins, birds, sea lions), monitoring the beach, recording the different species of seabirds, pollution, strandings, and anthropogenic waste, releases, necropsies, hematological/parasitological analyses, and learning more about specific veterinary treatments such as ozone therapy and laser therapy.
In a second phase, I was placed in the ECOMEGA FURG laboratory for ecology and conservation of marine fauna. There I was able to learn about various studies and conservation projects, such as the Toninhas Project for the Franciscana dolphin and the Boto Project for Lahille's bottlenose dolphin.
I was allowed to accompany the Boto Project team on their regular trips out to sea to monitor the population using photo identification and DNA sampling.
Beach surveys are also conducted twice a month, during which stranded animals are counted and various samples (teeth, organs, skin, skulls) are taken from dead animals, which are then analyzed and examined in the laboratory.
For example, I learned that a single dolphin tooth can be used to examine a whole range of biological parameters.
After several steps, we produce thin tooth discs that we can use to determine the age of the animal. By removing material (dentin), we can also examine the isotopes present, which provide us with information about the animal's diet, possible migrations, and even the characteristics of its habitat throughout its entire life.
It is therefore one of the daily tasks of ECOMEGAto study these species, investigate their life expectancy, distribution, habitat use, population size, and even their habits and diet. By getting to know them better, we can reinforce the importance of measures to combat the problems caused by human activities in the sea and improve existing protection measures (protected areas where fishing is prohibited, pingers in fishing nets).
I returned from this internship with all the answers to my questions and all the keys I needed to share and pass on the new knowledge I had acquired on site to my colleagues and visitors to the park. It was a very enriching experience, both personally and professionally.
I would like to thank everyone I had the pleasure of meeting during my stay and thank you for your work. Thank you to the team from YAQU PACHA for the trust you have placed in me.
Marie Labourier
“You protect what you love, and you love what you know.” J. Cousteau