Dawn on the Amazon Captain’s Blog

Observations about Our Study of Pink River Dolphins in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

Late in the afternoon on February 13th we tied up at the confluence of the Pacaya and Amazon Rivers. Dave and Dottie Bonnett already had the acoustical equipment ready. Pink and Gray Dolphins were nearly always breaching. Within minutes of turning the engines off Dave had the hydrophone in the water experimenting with depth, calling out instructions to Dottie to log into the records. Dave put on the headphones, turned the digital recorder on and excitedly called out, “We have communication! Ohh, the clicks. The chirps. What was that? It sounded like a fog horn. Did one just blow? Dottie write that down. Get the time. That was no catfish! Shirley, did you see it? Pink or Gray? Dottie write that down. Now it sounds like popcorn popping…”

That recording was exciting, the equipment worked, the technique was good, the boat was quiet, but what we wanted we could find only far inside Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Strange as it may sound for a scientist wanting to study Pink River Dolphin communication, there were too many dolphins at this location. Dave wanted only Pink River Dolphins (Inia geffrensis), with no Gray River Dolphins mixed in. He wanted no background motor noises or even the sound of paddling a canoe. Here, subsistence fishermen worked with the dolphins to net their family’s supper. Still, it was our first recording, and we were happy.

Early the next morning we officially entered the reserve to begin our scientific study. This was a hawk day. Some days are sloth days. This was a hawk day. We were amazed at the number of species of birds of prey. One expedition through this same area in late May and early June we saw over 50 sloths. I only saw one sloth this entire trip. If we had come to study sloths we would have gone home with no data.

The ranger at the entrance warned us that the river was blocked with aquatic vegetation and we might not be able to navigate. Be careful, use our best judgment. For two hours there was no blockage at all. We could proceed with no problems. We cruised along at 6 kilometers per hour birdwatching, came slow around a bend and ha, ha, you guessed it, the river was blocked with bog as far as the eye can see. If I had never been stuck in a bog maybe I would not have worried. But bogged down had serious implications with me. I knew how hard it could be to get through. But the difference between success and failure hung in the balance so we plowed ahead. I won’t bore you with the details but we progressed slowly and it felt good to see open water in the distance and then we broke free and I relaxed. Of course we still had to get back out…but not for a few days.

As soon as we cleared the bog Pink Dolphins were on both sides of us. We decided to swim with the dolphins and then record. The water felt great at 10 degrees below air temperature. The water here is always stained with tannic acid but is nearly free of sediment. We could see lots of small fish, and the dolphin were feeding on them, but kept a distance of at least 75 yards between us.

After the swim Dave was ready to get to work. We made a couple of recordings. The second recording was distinguished by one dolphin that sounded angry. Maybe it always sounded angry but for the rest of our time in the reserve I never again heard a dolphin make a sound that I could interpreted as anger.

In the late afternoon we came to a location that caught our attention. Two incredibly beautiful large parrots took flight from a tree right next to a small band of howler monkeys. Usually that means a ripe food source and makes the best wildlife observation position. We tied up and decided to wait there till morning and soon the parrots came back. The next morning the Howler Monkeys were making their growling, dangerous sound close by. Saki and Squirrel Monkeys came to feed with the parrots. We could have tramped in the rainforest all day and not have seen as much wildlife as we saw sitting there in our comfortable chairs near that ripe fruit tree in two hours.

After checking in at the next ranger’s station we proceeded up the Yarina River to the Yarina Cocha, the largest lake in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. We shut down and drifted with the breeze, alternating between recording, swimming, doing some laundry, and napping. During this time, one of the old legends came to life.

The legend of the Pink Dolphin is the opposite of the Mermaid Siren. The Pink Dolphin has supernatural powers to transform itself into a charming handsome man that seduces the innocent women living near the water. Any woman who comes up pregnant who should not be pregnant can blame the suave man that mysteriously emerged from the waters.

When the men left the water in Yarina Cocha the women stayed and played on the back of the boat, splashing and laughing. Within minutes their laughter intensified, intermingled with shrieks of delight. I watched from the observation deck as the dolphins put on a show. They repeatedly raised their heads out of the water and looked toward the amazed women on the swimming platform at the water line. Our boat drifted closer and the dolphins did not mind at all. The more the women laughed and shrieked and pointed and yelled the better the dolphins seemed to like it, and the more they increased their performance. I have truly never seen anything like it. It was a once in a life time experience for all of us.

The males are generally much larger (8 feet) than the females (6 feet), and usually pinker. We saw their heads swivel as if on necks. Their beaks have teeth. The fluke lies horizontal in the water as a whale’s, instead of vertical, as a fish’s.

We learned Pink Dolphins emit a sound 10 times above what the human ear can detect. They use that frequency for echolocation, similar to sonar. We recorded many variations of clicks and chirps that must be communication between dolphins. There is great variation in the noise made while sounding and it seems likely that is also communication, such as the dolphin that sounded angry. Of course we do not know that it was communicating anger. It would be a mistake to place human values on their sounds. I observed a huge, very pink dolphin, which in my mind could only have been a male, raise more than the lower third of its body and tail straight up, hold it vertically for few seconds, and then slam it down on the water as violently as possible. That was a form of communication also. This is a rich field of study worthy of a research grant.

We left Yarina Cocha the next morning thinking we had the ultimate dolphin sightings, but nothing could prepare us for what we witnessed in Atun Cocha. We tied up, and recorded dolphins for a while, then went for a swim. After the men left the water, the women, purely in the interest of science, ha, ha, tried to lure the same display as they had received the day before on Yarina Cocha. This was a tougher crowd in Atun Cocha and nothing particularly interesting took place for a long time. I think the women had given up when something amazing happened. Two of the largest and pinkest males started a commotion and got our attention. They were at least 50 to 75 yards away from the front of the boat when they both simultaneously jumped completely out of the water and chest butted each other. They thrashed and fought on the surface and then a female came to the surface and the “winner” took her. I will never make a great photo journalist. I stood there dumbstruck with the wrong lens, and was so hypnotized by the action I did not take one photo until it was all over.

What I did get a photo of, after it was over, is unexplainable. One of them held it’s beak out of the water for several minutes with a piece of wood grasped between its teeth. Now why would a Pink River Dolphin that just had sex, have a piece of wood in its beak?

Dave has a lot of data to analyze and it will take time, but he has promised to post some comments about his findings here on the Captains Blog.

To see photos of our eight day expedition to Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, including several photos of Pink Dolphins, click this live link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnontheamazon/sets/72157594555573992/

Captain Bill reporting from the Crows Nest.

Observations about Our Study of Pink River Dolphins in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

Bill Grimes, Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises

Links to other posts about Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, and Pink Dolphins;

An Interview with David Bonnett, Acoustical Engineer Studying Pink Dolphin Communication

I am just another travel man

Our Adventure Apprehending Paiche Poachers in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

The Pacaya River

The story of our second scientific research expedition to record Pink Dolphin communication is at;

Pink Dolphins in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve 

Photos at Pink Dolphins, Pacaya Samiria National Reserve 

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Francisco Orellana at the Confluence of the Napo and Amazon Rivers

February 12th is the day set aside in Iquitos to recognize Francisco Orellana and his crew arriving at the confluence of the Napo River and the giant river they later named the Amazon. They were on their way to becoming the first known Europeans to float down the largest river on earth.

We tend to think of the Spanish conquest of the New World as driven by the quest for gold, but some of the exploration took place because of the world trade in spices. The Portuguese controlled the cinnamon trade. In the early 1500s the value of cinnamon as a commodity exceeded the price of gold or silver.

By the year 1540, Spain, through the Pizzaro brothers, was in control of Ecuador and Peru. Rumor had it that a forest of cinnamon existed to the east on the other side of the Andes Mountains.

Gonzalo Pizarro outfitted an expedition of 220 Spaniards, and 4,000 natives and set off inland from the Pacific coast to find the “Land of Cinnamon.” By the time they crossed the Andes, the expedition was already a disaster, with over half of the Spaniards and three quarters of the natives either dead or deserted, food and supplies running low. As necessity is the mother of invention, desperation is the mother of discovery.

When they reached the Coca River they built a brigantine, a small sailing ship, they named the San Pedro. Histories record they built a forge and cast nails from old muskets and their stirrups. How could they do that? They carried tools? They carried sails across the Andes Mountains? They brought horses over the Andes? Or shot the horses and carried their saddles? Left the saddles but salvaged the stirrups?

It would take a lot of nails to build even a small ship. They must have carved wooden pegs also, and fashioned oars or poles. They could not have waited for the wood to cure, so the wood shrank, and the boat leaked at every joint. When the boat leaked they must have driven the flared pegs in farther and tighter.

Nothing about this expedition was easy. It was the low water season in the Napo River watershed and navigation would be treacherous. Somehow they sailed, floated, and poled downstream to the confluence of the Coca and the Napo River.

Orellana took fifty men including Gaspar de Carvajal, a Dominican missionary, on the San Pedro downstream looking for food and supplies. The current was strong and they could not go back upstream. I believe they knew they could not return before they separated from Pizarro’s main group. They waited a few days, and, then, they constructed another brigantine and named her the Victoria.

They what? They built another small ship in the middle of the jungle? Why would they do that? Wouldn’t that take one month per ship, at least two weeks per ship? They were already looking for food and supplies.

I do not believe they constructed even one ship. I think they tied some balsa logs together with jungle vines and carved long ores and poles and called the rafts brigantines. At least, that is what I would have done. I would have built low walls for protection from arrows and darts, and a thatch roof to protect my men from the elements. Then, for self promotion, maybe I would have Gaspar call it a brigantine in his diary. Maybe someone would paint a picture. (Click the picture to enlarge.)

Pizarro, shivering with malaria, limped back to Quito with no cinnamon or gold and only 80 men left alive out of over 4,000. Orellana “set sail” downstream for destinations unknown. The Napo River is large, but when the explorers swept out onto the Amazon River they must have been amazed. Certainly the Iquito natives who inhabited the area were amazed.

The Domincan missionary, Gaspar de Carvajal, chronicled the events of the descent of the Amazon River in his “Account of the recent discovery of the famous Grand river which was discovered by great good fortune by Captain Francisco de Orellana.” I want to read this “Account.” It must tell of the hardships, uncertainty, fear of the unknown, and the adventures they faced to survive. Maybe it tells how they constructed the ships.

The clash of the two cultures will be reenacted in song and dance on February 12th, 2007, in Iquitos Peru. The name of the program is “The Two Worlds Meeting.” The actors portraying the Spanish will be costumed on stilts as giants with rifles and crossbows. The small rainforest people with only blow guns, spears, and bows and arrows are frightened. The Spanish rape the young maidens. The rainforest people become angry and attack the invaders, driving them off, protecting their homes.

Francisco, Gaspar, and the rest of the crew sail and drift downstream, across South America, into a footnote of History. One could possibly trace their progress by the dates of reenactment festivals across the continent.

Francisco Orellana at the Confluence of the Napo and Amazon Rivers

Bill Grimes,  Welcome to Iquitos Peru,  Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises

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The kiss was five years ago today. I wanted that kiss for a long time. I walked her from the Plaza de Armas all the way to the Nanay River and back but did not get the kiss. I visited her mother and father, her aunts and uncles, her nephews and nieces and cousins but did not get the kiss. I wore long pants and leather shoes in the tropics near the equator but did not get the kiss. We walked in the park and ate ice cream together by the fountain but did not kiss. We shared pizza but shared no kiss.

I began to get her attention when I called her with a satellite phone from the middle of the rainforest to let her know I was thinking of her and wanting the kiss. Modern technology helped an old fashioned romance. I was loco.

The kiss was really a peck, half stolen, half given, and it led to even more uncertainty. Oh gosh, we were nervous. The kiss was near midnight five years ago, and I am still loco. I could not see beyond the kiss. Who could have known how many tears would fall in the next three years? Who could have known how much sadness we would endure before I moved to Iquitos, Peru?

Marmelita and I are sharing our lives together. We are sharing the anniversary of the kiss today. We are happy and in love. After all these years it is good to know that our hearts could not have chosen a better couple.

Bill Grimes,  Welcome to Iquitos Peru,  Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises 

A follow up article that you might find interesting;

Hoosier Expatriate Living in Iquitos Peru

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To Answer the Questions You Should Ask Before You Book A Jungle Adventure in Iquitos Peru

The following quote is extracted from a thoughtful, intelligent comment made by Justin in response to an intense series of comments at the end of my post for January 5th, 2007, titled The Dawn on the Amazon Christmas Program 2006. Justin’s comment is # 65, and I recommend you read all of the comments.

“…I hope potential and returning tourists to Iquitos take this blog as a forewarning to spend their dollar, and thus use their influence, wisely. Don’t be afraid to ask tour companies what arrangments they have with local communities, how their Peruvian staff is paid, and what efforts they take toward sustainability. The tourist industry will respond to the desires of its consumers.”

I want to respond and then open this new thread to more comments.

As the president and owner of the eco-tour company, Dawn on the Amazon, I have a responsibility to the people of Iquitos, to the inhabitants of the communities that we visit, to the men and women who depend on me for their livelihood, and to the tourists who choose the services of my company.

I am a resident of Peru, and my company is based in Iquitos. All of the money made by Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises stays in Peru, and the taxes I pay help provide the government services enjoyed by all citizens of this country. I do not have an office in Miami, nor do I pay commissions to travel agents in other countries. All of the money stays in Peru.

The official unemployment rate for Iquitos is 65%. I have built four boats and a jungle cabin. Nearly all of the labor and material came from this province, Loreto. When we were building Dawn on the Amazon III, my work force reached its maximum of fifteen. Even the guards made more than minimum wage.

The impact on the economy of Iquitos was much greater than the number of my employees. For instance, a machine shop made two shafts and propellers. The machine shop employs half a dozen skilled workers. The motor, shaft, and propellers were installed by a different group of skilled laborers. A crew of welders worked on reinforcements, steps, hand holds, and many other parts of the boat. We rented a dry dock from a firm with several workers.

I bought all of the paint, varnish, tools, nuts, washers, bolts, nails, and other hardware in Peru, providing more jobs in those sectors of the economy. The wood came from Loreto, and had to be trucked, handled, planed, joined, sanded and shaped, providing employment for many people in the lumber business. I hired wood carvers and cabinet makers. I bought refrigerators, stoves, and freezers. Local ceramic artists made all of the plates, bowls, pitchers, cups and saucers.

We purchase gas, oil, diesel fuel, insurance, food, pure water, and more. We bring tourists from outside the country who spend money on meals, hotel rooms, motocars, airline tickets, and souvenirs. We contribute to employment in nearly every sector of the economy. In short, Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises is very valuable to the economy of Iquitos, Loreto, and Peru.

Dawn on the Amazon currently has 12 full time employees. The guards, the maid who cleans the boat, the woman who helps the chef, and the newest addition to the office staff, all make more than the minimum wage. Dawn on the Amazon has five permanent employees who we provide with retirement pay and with health benefits for them and their families. As our business grows we will add more employees to the retirement and health plan. We are a team, and the respect, loyalty and love that we share should be the envy of nearly every business.

We take our responsibility to the communities that we visit very seriously. We always bring extra medical supplies, gas, salt, rice, and beans to share, as well as healthy snacks for the children. We always hire a local guide for the jungle hikes, and pay for fishing rights when appropriate. We pay an entrance fee, per guest, to Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve, and Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Reserve, as well as to some private and community reserves. Each village has its own problems and shortages. We try to do what we can to help. We are looking for ways to do more. Obviously we want the people we visit to be glad to see us next time. I also have a couple of small, private, charitable projects that I have undertaken.

Another responsibility is to treat the tourist as our guest. This philosophy is the opposite of cutting costs to maximize profits. Dawn on the Amazon does everything possible to assure our guests will want to come back and visit us again. We try to make every meal special. We use butter, palm oil, and olive oil. We squeeze fresh juice and brew fresh coffee. We make homemade puddings and cakes, and serve generous portions at every meal. Not one of our guests ever complained they wished there was more food. We do our guests laundry and clean their rooms like they were our own rooms. Not one guest ever complained that they wished the crew had provided better service.

We seek input from our guests about their personal preferences, and offer choices so the guests can build their own adventure with knowledgeable, multi-lingual guides to help. We are the only company I know of that takes photos of our guests enjoying their adventure, and spends an extra couple of days putting the photos through Photoshop to clean them up and email them to the guest at no extra cost.

Some of the practices that make our operation sustainable are: we sort our trash, recycle what can be recycled, take to the landfill all non-biodegradable trash, and feed the food scraps to the fish and turtles. We store our extra electrical power in eight, 360 pound, solar, deep cell batteries. My crew knows they will be fired for dumping petroleum products in the river. We practice catch and release fishing, keeping only enough for eating. We helped apprehend paiche poachers in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve and are always on the lookout for ways to make an improvement.

We are trying to be the best eco-tour and cruise company in the upper Amazon, and we are succeeding. You could not choose a better company with which to have your Amazon adventure than Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises. Please look at our web site at dawnontheamazon.com and at my Flickr Photo Gallery of what other guests have experienced on their adventures at flickr.com/photos/dawnontheamazon/

This is how I see it from the crows nest. Thank you for caring.
Bill

To Answer the Questions You Should Ask Before You Book a Jungle Adventure in Iquitos Peru

Bill Grimes,  Welcome to Iquitos Peru,  Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises

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