Few Remaining River Dolphins Indicators of River, Human Health

Baby Bolivian Dolphin

Photograph by Dado Galdieri, Associated Press

The Bolivian river dolphin comes equipped with a flexible body that allows it to make its way through the tree roots of flooded forests.

All three South American river dolphin species compete for habitat with fishers who sometimes use the dolphin as bait, according to WWF. But, the new report goes on to state that the primary threat to the Bolivian dolphin is mercury pollution from small-scale gold mines.

This baby was rescued in the summer of 2010 in the Pailas River, a tributary of the Rio Grande, when drought led to lower-than-usual water levels.