Amazon River Dolphin Population: Fewer Than 10,000 Remain

The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis, also called boto or pink river dolphin) is endemic to the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Current estimates place the global population at fewer than 10,000 individuals.

Threats

• Habitat fragmentation from dams and deforestation.
• Bycatch in gillnets; deliberate killing for bait (piracatinga fishery).
• Pollution – mercury from gold mining, agricultural runoff.
• Climate change altering flood-pulse dynamics.

Conservation Status

Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List (2018). Protected in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela—but enforcement is uneven.

These charismatic, flexible-necked dolphins are indicators of river health. Their decline signals broader ecosystem collapse.