Stop the Illegal River Dolphin Slaughter in Brazil
As global attention turns to Brazil for the World Cup, we’re turning the floodlights on the illegal killing of thousands of river dolphins, or botos.
Poachers spear, cut or bludgeon vulnerable dolphins to death with harpoons, machetes or axes. Then they chop them up for use as bait to catch catfish. Some dolphins are stabbed and kept alive, tied to trees by their tails for days to keep them fresh until they are required for bait. These intelligent and sensitive botos face unimaginable suffering and cruelty and unless the hunt is stopped they will be driven to extinction.
Hundreds of thousands of football fans will visit Brazil to watch the World Cup in a few weeks, yet few people know about this disgraceful dolphin slaughter. With your support we can expose the secret killing, and put global pressure on the Brazilian government to save botos from extinction.
WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation is working with Rafael Rocha of the Brazilian Public Prosecution Service to stop the slaughter. Sign this petition to show that you support his efforts and ask him to use his influence to urge the Brazilian government to act to stop the illegal killing before it’s too late.
Dear Rafael Rocha,
We wish to add our global voices of support and thanks for your unparalleled work to stop the killing of botos in Brazil.
This expanding river dolphin hunt for catfish bait is illegal, cruel and unsustainable. There are simply not enough botos left to sustain the hunt and every boto killed suffers dreadfully.
Without urgent action by the Brazilian government to enforce its own laws to stop boto killing in the Amazon rainforest – this iconic and much-loved pink river dolphin will be driven to extinction and lost forever from our world.
[Your comments here]
We believe botos deserve much more; a future free of cruelty, violence and pain. Please use your influence to urge the Brazilian government to act now, before it’s too late.
Thank you,
[Your name here]
