Additionally, the tucuxi, apparently one of the least-studied dolphin species, has been found off of the Talamanca shore to the surprise of scientists who thought their range only extended from Panama south to Brazil. Even more surprising to scientists is that the resident population of tucuxis in Talamanca intermingle and appear to mate with bottlenose dolphins. In Talamanca we have a very rare opportunity to learn completely new things about inter-species relations. The oil exploration definitely puts these marine mammals at risk. Studies have shown that the noise and disturbances of oil exploration and other industrial activities cause stress in dolphins and drive them away.
Prolonged stress is a deadly disease in mammals - dolphins as well as humans.
We are pressuring marine mammals to adjust to our technologies faster than they have evolved to withstand. Tucuxis depend on mangrove habitat for food and shelter. Sensitive mangrove ecosystems around the world are being seriously compromised by pollution from oil development. The people of Talamanca call on Costa Rica, as a signer of the Rio Declaration of 1992, the Climate Change Convention of 1993 and the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, to become a leader in clean energy development, since fossil fuels threaten biodiversity, local economies and the global climate.