Spokesperson for the Irrawaddy Dolphin

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Danielle Kreb.

In 1992, Danielle Kreb made an important life decision when she switched from studying sociology to biology to learn about animals. Later, she used her knowledge to voice concerns over threats that fauna faced, including the Irrawaddy dolphin.

Danielle Kreb (49) chose to protect animals because they cannot speak about the dangers that threaten their lives. Animals need humans to speak up. This choice was what led her to Samarinda, East Kalimantan, where she studied the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).

Initially in 1997, she received news from her friends in Indonesia that the East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) was looking for a researcher focusing on river animals, specifically the dolphin. Her friends were reminded of Danielle because she had previously studied long-snouted dolphins that live in Chinese rivers.

Despite having never done research in the archipelago and neither having the ability to speak Indonesian, Danielle stepped up to the task with the support of Dewi Fortuna. Since 1997, she has also had the opportunity to research dolphins in Mahakam river with the East Kalimantan BKSDA. At the time, the Mahakam dolphin population was decreasing due to various industrial and human activities taking place around the river.

“The experience of researching at the Mahakam river for the first time was very memorable. We took a small ces [wooden boat] with no roof. We followed up to the headwaters. On the way, we stayed at the barracks and residents’ houses,” said the Dutch woman who is now fluent in Indonesian in Samarinda, Wednesday (23/12/2020).

This research made her fall in love with the freshwater mammal, known as the Irrawaddy dolphin.

Danielle is excited to understand dolphins. This research made her fall in love with the freshwater mammal, known as the Irrawaddy dolphin.

Although the research had been done, there had not been any significant change in the survival of the dolphins. In 1998, she decided to take training to research the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin around Hong Kong. From there, she learned several things about aquatic animal research.

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A year later, she returned to Samarinda to research the dolphins again for six months amid various conditions and seasons. She obtained research funding from the training program she attended in Hong Kong. As a result, she now understood that special method was needed to study dolphins.

“It turns out that the methods used during research in Hong Kong cannot all be applied to rivers. Finally, I used another method to calculate the number and marker of each dolphin, based on the identification photo of the dorsal fin,” she said. Each dolphin has a unique dorsal fin shape.

Spreading knowledge

In 2000, Danielle co-founded the Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia (RASI) Conservation Foundation in Samarinda. The goal was to make a sustainable program for dolphins and other animals. One of the founders of the foundation, namely Budiono, later married Danielle.

At the RASI Foundation, Danielle is a researcher and program manager. She initiated various programs for the sustainability of dolphins in the Mahakam river. For example, she reached out to the public on using more environmentally friendly fishing, as electric fishing fear could kill the smaller fish and disrupt the balance of the river. Then, the fishermen’s catch would not be maximized, and the dolphins would end up with a lack of food.

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Danielle Kreb, perempuan berkebangsaan Belanda yang meneliti pesut di Kalimantan Timur sejak 1997 berpose di kantor Yayasan Konservasi Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia (RASI) di Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, Rabu (23/12/2020).

Residents around rivers and lakes where dolphins frequently pass were also taught how to save a dolphin that accidentally gets caught in a fishing net. This effort had proven successful. Now, residents immediately contact the BKSDA or the RASI Foundation if they find dolphins caught in fishing nets or trapped in the shallow parts of the river.

In March 2019, for example, residents reported to the RASI Foundation when they found a dolphin trapped in Lake Melintang, Kutai Kartanegara, whose waters had receded until its waters only reached 0.5 meters. The residents worried that if the dolphins were not helped, they would not be able to go out or find food. Danielle and activists at the RASI Foundation then decided to evacuate the dolphins with the help of local residents.

Whilst evacuating, the residents were taught that the hole in the top of the dolphin’s head is an exhalation that must be protected so that water does not enter. “When in the water, the hole closes by itself. When in the air, it opens. So, during the evacuation process, the hole cannot be exposed to water because if water enters in that conditions, it would be the same as killing a dolphin,” said Danielle.

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As of 2020, there is estimated to be around 80 dolphins in the Mahakam River. The worst year was in 2018 because dolphin deaths hit a record within the last 20 years, namely 11.

Dolphin lives are under threat because many industries and households produce waste that pollutes the river water. The RASI Foundation conducted research at 16 points along the Mahakam river and its tributaries in 2019. Laboratory test results showed that the river water was contaminated by heavy metals.

Without the dolphin, the balance of the food chain in the river would be disrupted.

Why do Danielle and her friends bother saving the dolphins? She explained that dolphins play an important role in the ecosystem as top predators. Without the dolphin, the balance of the food chain in the river would be disrupted.

The horizontal and vertical movements of the dolphin also help to fertilize the river. The movement stirs river water and helps plankton to rise to the surface of the water for photosynthesis, which then produces oxygen. The plankton will then also be eaten by zooplankton, which are then eaten by fish.

Throughout 23 years of researching the dolphin, Danielle appears to be a spokesperson for the rare mammal. From her research and her voice, ordinary citizens have come to understand the importance of maintaining the survival of the dolphin. We also come to understand that human life depends on the environment and the animals that live around it.

Danielle Kreb

Born: Emmeloord, Netherlands, 5 September 1971

Education:

- School of Sociology, University of Amsterdam (1991)

- Master’s Program at the Faculty of Biology, University of Amsterdam (1992-1997)

- Doctoral Program, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam (2004)

(This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia).