Brazil: Jasour – News Desk
In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, Luiz Felipe (27) plays with a pink dolphin and smiles for a photo. This young man with Down Syndrome is undergoing a therapy session unlike any traditional treatment and has overcome his fear of entering the waters of the Rio Negro River.
This program, which has involved about 400 individuals with special needs, offers sessions in Iranduba, in the state of Amazonas. Igor Simões Andrade (49), the creator of this dolphin therapy, explains, “It’s a complementary treatment that does not replace other therapies.”
The physical therapist adds, “It’s a non-conventional alternative that brings joy to children and young people, connects them with nature, and provides strength that cannot be found in a hospital.”
While similar animal therapies exist in other countries, Simões Andrade asserts that this is the “first in the world” to use dolphins in their natural habitat, with the program starting in 2006.
The sessions are free and funded by sponsors, targeting individuals with Down Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, as well as those with physical disabilities.
Igor Simões Andrade explains that the sessions with dolphins help patients “improve their balance and motor skills, strengthen their spine,” and “feel integrated with nature.”
Neuro-education specialist Hanna Fernandez talks about the benefits of this therapy for “social communication,” as individuals receiving this treatment “interact with others outside their daily environment,” including session organizers. Before entering the river, Luiz Felipe, who lives in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, practices breathing exercises and yoga to relax.
Hanna Fernandez says, “He wasn’t afraid this time, while he didn’t dare enter the water during the first session.”
The patients, wearing life jackets, float in the waters of the Rio Negro, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, while dolphins swim between their legs and occasionally rise to the surface.
There is no need to lure them with food; they come voluntarily out of curiosity, just as they do when local children swim in the river.
These sessions are organized after obtaining approval from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), an official regulatory body.
