The first seductors of the Amazon- “Journey of the Pink Dolphins” by Sy Montgomery.
Pink dolphins do not only exist, but are an integral part of the life of the community inhabiting the Amazon river. As often as in water, they appear in human superstitions, dreams or stories passed from mouth to mouth. They are mysterious creatures, but also exceptionally amorous. When they go out from the water under a male figure they seduce most beautiful girls in the land. Dolphin in love is ready to kidnap her to the underwater city of Encante. And unhappily, dolphins in love mean no less trouble. At least that's what the inhabitants of the Amazon say, even if they have not experience evil behaviour they certainly know someone who has experienced it on their own.
The charm of these strange creatures was not resisted by an American writer and naturalist, Sy Montgomery. As she admits her book, "Journey of the Pink Dolphins” is nothing but a love story. And that's why, regardless of the risk, inconvenience and costs, she followed them tirelessly through the wildest recesses of the Amazon jungle. All in order to see a piece of a pink head, fin or tail in the muddy water. The crowning of Sy's journey turned out to be swimming with dolphins, which certainly rewarded her with all the previous hardships and minor failures. It also seems that dolphins have returned her feelings - at first certainly curiosity, carefully and later, more and more boldly, they revealed their pink faces to her.
In the Montgomery’s book dolphins are also a starting point for wider considerations, and these most often concern such an urgent issue as the condition of the Amazon. The author on this topic shows a deep understanding of the problems that both the area itself and its inhabitants are consuming. Although at every step Sy perceives threats or man made damage, she also notices changes for the better. Unrestrained human greed, means that ecologists invariably tremble about the future of rainforests. But in this disturbing image, at least the fact that the pink dolphins from the Amazon river are doing quite well and at the same time they are in no danger. Their bottled brothers who inhabit the boundless seas of the oceans are not always so lucky.
Sy Montgomery expedition on the trail of dolphins with this unusual coloration turned out to be a complex and multidimensional journey. The author shares not only passion, but also knowledge. Writing about the Amazon through the prism of folk beliefs, ecology, prehistory and own experiences provides a mass of interesting insights. However, it would not do much if Sy Montgomery was a bad writer. Meanwhile, she is one of the better writers among naturalists, combining the best features of both professions. As a result, "Journey of the Pink Dolphins" is a beautiful and clever book that will surely meet the expectations of genre amateurs - this literary and zoological.