Swim with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and what the rules say

People ask: can you swim with pink dolphins? Several Manaus listings answer yes in some form. Our jungle day stops at a dolphin conservation project where guests have the chance to enter the water, and the listing asks for swimwear and a towel for that stop. A full river day of 9 hours describes the same chance, and a 2-day river tour does too.

The format differs between operators. A safari-style day of 7 hours moves guests to a platform for a swim once lunch is over, and a speedboat day describes swimming near the dolphins from a floating platform. The ICMBio assessment says botos are attracted and domesticated in various Amazonas locations so that visitors can meet them, and a separate ICMBio note says the contact on the lower Rio Negro rests on food offered to the dolphins.^4,5

None of this is new. A well documented example is Novo Airão, where an ICMBio researcher traces the contact to 1997, when the daughter of a floating restaurant owner began feeding a boto that visited the spot.⁶ The activity ran without any norm or inspection to protect the animals or the visitors, and INPA has noted four other floating platforms in Amazonas that offer contact with botos.^6,7

At the federal level, all cetaceans are protected from hunting by law 7.643 of 1987.¹⁵ A biologist quoted in an article hosted by ICMBio points to Decree 6.514 of 2008, whose article 30 prohibits intentionally molesting any species of cetacean, a ban that covers botos, whales and dolphins and carries a fine.¹ Molesting is the legal word, and it is broader than harming.

Feeding is less clear. According to the same biologist, no Brazilian law prohibits feeding wild animals in conservation units, but the internal regulations of some units ban the practice.¹³ The article adds that lifting botos clear of the water for a snapshot or offering foods that are not part of their diet, such as snacks and bread, can be considered mistreatment and is prohibited by several specific norms.⁹

At the state level, the conservation assessment of the species records that a state regulation on organizing tourism with botos already exists.¹⁶ That means the rules a stop follows can differ from one place to another, so ask the operator which ones apply and who authorizes the stop. A good guide answers without hesitation, and a vague answer is information too.

Researchers have described what a better setup involves. An ICMBio working group proposed that tourism with botos happen only inside conservation units, with a favourable opinion and monitoring by the managing body, and that rules cover the number of tourists, the minimum structure, the location of the float and the time of observation.¹⁸ It also called for stricter rules on touching and feeding.¹⁸

A research platform run by INPA near Manaus follows that spirit. It was designed to regulate visiting hours and to set low-impact rules for the interaction, and it carries signs and information in Portuguese and English about the animal, its habitat and its threats.^14,19 The platform is in the village of São Thomé, in Iranduba municipality, 80 km from the city, so it is a separate outing from the day tours.²⁰

A separate ICMBio research project in the lower Rio Negro aims to monitor tourist interactions with pink dolphins and caimans and to propose ways to reduce their negative impact.²¹ Its stated goal is qualified, low-impact activities that contribute to the welfare of the species, visitor satisfaction and income for local communities.²² That is the direction to look for when you choose an operator.