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ORCA PERU's intitutional achievements for over 20 years have set up the pillars for advanced marine mammal health and marine life conservation in Peru, inspiring a new generation of
human beings across the world.
The Organization for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals -ORCA PERU- was founded 2000 by marine veterinarian Dr. Carlos Yaipén-Llanos at the age of 23 and despite not receiving any government funding its still going strong! He is, and always has been, a marine mammal enthusiast and is a qualified marine vet and has worked with 27 different species including whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles, penguins, sea lions, marine otters and seals.
Main ORCA achievements in Peru:
• On 24th May 2003 the first ever rescue, rehabilitation and release of a south american sea-lion (Otaria byronia), named "Oscar".
• In 2004, ORCA discovered the first ever cases of cancer in
South American sea lions linked to
pollution in the ocean, and in 2008,
ORCA also characterized a disease called distemper, caused by moribillivirus.
• ORCA runs the world's first rehabiliation and release education program for baby
South American sea lions using advanced
behavioral and acoustical research.
• In 2010, ORCA reveals to the world the presence of the first continental colony of Galapagos Fur Seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) in Isla Foca, Piura, Peru. The news goes viral worldwide as this is proof that climate change is triggering new ranges for this marine mammal, originally endemic (only found) of the Galapagos Islands.
• "Arwen", a bottlenose dolphin, was rescued, rehabilitated and released in
July 8th, 2011 -Ocean's Day-. She was the first ever in Peru, and the only one of all strandings worldwide that year. She has been sighted 3 times since
around Lima city coast.
• After six years follow up, in 2012 ORCA discovers the presence in Lima city bay of the long-gone and endangered Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis), mother and baby ("Julia" and
"Augusta") traveling from Antarctica is relevealed to the world in the most northern sighting ever recorded for this species.
• ORCA started to do multi-releases of
South American sea-lions into the wild: The first three sea-lions ("Fiona",
"Flynn" and "Felix") simultaneously released
in 2012; the six-sealion-pack ("Vanessa",
"Arya", "Rocky", "Teva", "Yaligei" and "Sebastian")
in 2013; and the thirteen-sealion-largest
release in South America ("Sol",
"Franco", "Liam", "Samir", "Jake", "Amy",
"Irina", "Nya", "Lincon", "Paola",
"Miguel", "Nandito" and "Rose") were released together for the first time ever in Peru
in 2014.
• The first penguin rescue and rehabilitation was January 19th, 2012 with
"Ace" and "Kirk" the Humboldt penguins, for the first time in Peru.
• ORCA successfully rehabilitated and released an endangered marine otter “Pierre” on July 30th, 2012.
• On January 8th, 2014 the first Galapagos penguin was discovered in Peru, despite believes that it is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. “Ron” was successfully rehabilitated and since then several Galapagos penguin colonies have been sighted.
• June 2015 “Ryana” a Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and “Mariana”
a Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys
imbricata bissa), were the first sea turtles in Peru to be successfully rehabilitated and released due to plastic poisoning.
• August 17th, 2015, “Poseidon” a Galapagos Fur Seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) was rescued in a southern beach of Lima, making it the most southern recording of this species ever documented.
• March 11th, 2016, “Cayetano” is the first Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) recorded in Lima city bay, and ORCA is in charge of the rescue operation that leads this juvenile male back to the ocean.
• Winter 2016, ORCA faces the second crisis of weanling sea-lion strandings, managing to assist 300 emergencies nationwide. Our Center meets its full operational capacity with 35 sea-lions under rehabilitation at the same time. The crisis is overcome with 85% of survival success.
• In November 2017, the ORCA JUNIOR Team known as “Orkariones” win the SPLASH EDUCATION NATIONAL CONTEST as the Best Environment and Conservation initiative: Teenagers promoting education through the rehabilitation of sea-lions.
• During the summer time of 2018, sixteen penguins are rescue due plastic ingestion, a first and worst scenario for penguins ever recorded.
• For the next summer season in 2019, the new penguin protocol saved 80% of penguins found with gastritis and plastic ingestion. The same year in winter, a new protocol for sea-turtles is also implemented for infectious gastritis in northern Peru, saving 12 out of 16 green sea-turtles reported.
• In December 2019, ORCA attended to the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Spain, and for the first time with a full international team of student researchers under Dr. Yaipen-Llanos tutelage. ORCA presented five novel research poster presentations in this prime scientific congress.
• In February 2020, ORCA successfully manages the latest unusual stranding event of baby sea-lions in the coast of Lima, for the fifth time in 20 years. After one decade of research on sea-lion behavior and pediatric medical handling, our Animal Welfare team managed an intense education protocol for the public, having 98% of baby sea-lions back with their mothers.
ORCA
"Rescue, Education, Science and
Conservation
Protecting Marine Life in
the Eastern South Pacific"
OCEANIZE YOUR LIFE!
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