Education and outreach program
Our local communities depends greatly on the dolphins and whales and for this reason they need to be included in their conservation efforts. To achieve this, we have been giving talks to the local community of Isla Colón and Bocas Torito in the Province of Bocas del Toro which included topics about the status of the dolphin population, current research projects, and promoting sustainable dolphin-watching practices.
Dolphin week at bocas del Toro
They took our crayons and stole our hearts!

Thank you Leonel, Josemar, Juan Pablo, Maria, y Angel! and everybody that joined our outreach activity in Bocas del Toro on July 13th. Those that participated had a great time learning about how dolphin find food and communicate, how they reproduce, and how long they live. The kids colored, cut figures, played games, watched a dolphin movie, and earned educational prizes. It was a fantastic experience for everyone and thank you very much for the opportunity to share with you our knowledge.
Gracias Leonel, Josemar, Juan Pablo, Maria y Angel! y a todos los que estuvieron con nosotros ayer Sabado 13 de Julio. Todos nos divertimos mucho, aprendiendo sobre los delfines su comunicacion, alimentacion, y reproduccion. Los chicos y chicas colorearon, cortaron figuritas, jugaron, vieron peliculas de delfines, y ganaron varios premios educativos. Nos divertimos mucho gracias por dejarnos compartir con ustedes.
Gracias Leonel, Josemar, Juan Pablo, Maria y Angel! y a todos los que estuvieron con nosotros ayer Sabado 13 de Julio. Todos nos divertimos mucho, aprendiendo sobre los delfines su comunicacion, alimentacion, y reproduccion. Los chicos y chicas colorearon, cortaron figuritas, jugaron, vieron peliculas de delfines, y ganaron varios premios educativos. Nos divertimos mucho gracias por dejarnos compartir con ustedes.
Thank you Bocas for your patience and time!

Yesterday we walked downtown Bocas interviewing the community and dolphin watching operators. Thank you for accepting our brochures and information about the dolphins of Bocas del Toro and the Panamanian recommendations on sustainable dolphin watching. We raffle several prizes including a T-shirt, a book on the Biology of Cetaceans, the 2013 Report and two guided tours by one of our scientist. Thank you!
Ayer, caminamos el centro de Bocas entrevistamos a la comunidad y a los operadores de observacion de delfines. Muchas gracias por aceptar nuestros panfletos e informacion sobre los delfines de Bocas y sobre las recomendaciones del Gobierno de Panama. Rifamos varios premios incluyendo una camiseta del proyecto, un libro sobre la biologia de los cetaceos, el reporte del 2013 del proyecto, y dos tours guiados por una de nuestras investigadoras. Muchas gracias!
Ayer, caminamos el centro de Bocas entrevistamos a la comunidad y a los operadores de observacion de delfines. Muchas gracias por aceptar nuestros panfletos e informacion sobre los delfines de Bocas y sobre las recomendaciones del Gobierno de Panama. Rifamos varios premios incluyendo una camiseta del proyecto, un libro sobre la biologia de los cetaceos, el reporte del 2013 del proyecto, y dos tours guiados por una de nuestras investigadoras. Muchas gracias!
Visiting bocastorito schools
There's nothing more heart-warming than a bunch of kids getting all excited about your visit. The baby dolphin comes quite close, though.
Yesterday, we visited two schools in the vicinity of Dolphin Bay: Bocatorito and Buena Esperanza. The purpose of the visit was to teach them 'cool' details about their neighbors, the bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Bay. They learned a bit about dolphin physiology, and about the threats they are facing. The teachers admitted they learned a lot too! One of the teachers was very excited when we talked about the latest discovery that these dolphins belong to a small, genetically isolated population!
Yesterday, we visited two schools in the vicinity of Dolphin Bay: Bocatorito and Buena Esperanza. The purpose of the visit was to teach them 'cool' details about their neighbors, the bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Bay. They learned a bit about dolphin physiology, and about the threats they are facing. The teachers admitted they learned a lot too! One of the teachers was very excited when we talked about the latest discovery that these dolphins belong to a small, genetically isolated population!
Kids are like sponges we bring the information and material and next thing you know they are experts in the topic! Fantastic this is one of our favorite activities in Bocas.