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CNN —
Venturing deep into the complex waterways of the Amazon, Colombian marine biologist Fernando Trujillo first set out to study the mysterious pink river dolphin in 1987, at the directive of the late, renowned oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
Trujillo met Cousteau at a university seminar in Bogotá. When Trujillo asked what he should focus his research on, Cousteau told him he should go study the river dolphins, which had not been investigated in depth. Two years later, Trujillo hitched a ride on a cargo plane to start his adventure in the Amazon.
Born and raised in Bogotá, Trujillo arrived in the riverside village of Puerto Nariño as a recent graduate with “the arrogance of a university guy,” he recalled. He soon realized he’d need the help of the local Tikuna people in order to navigate the intricate terrain and get close to the dolphins.
“This is a very aggressive environment, very difficult to survive,” Trujillo told CNN of the Amazon. “The indigenous started to teach me – to show me the different species, how to paddle in a canoe, how to walk in the forest.”
He eventually forged a deep connection with the freshwater dolphins and their surroundings. He discovered that their populations were dwindling due to overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change.
