Lisbon’s COVID-19 Dolphin Resurgence is Coming to an End
from bioGraphic magazine Story by Leah Borts-Kuperman In the spring of 2020, soon after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and large parts of the world shut down, newspapers and social media feeds filled with stories of wildlife taking advantage of the sudden absence of people. One of those silver-lining tales came from dolphins in the Tagus River, a waterway that cuts through the Portuguese countryside before draining into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. With a sudden dearth of boats and fishermen, common dolphins ( Delphinus delphis ) could swim, hunt, and forage in the Tagus without restraint, and sightings spiked. The animals, which appeared to be thriving, became a symbol of hope in a desperate time. But nearly six years after the lockdown lull, experts say Portugal ’ s main shipping port probably won ’ t be able to hold on to this iconic species for much longer. Common dolphins have been recorded in the Tagus for centuries, ...
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