Bruce Farnsworth Photography,Conservation photography,Rainforest animals, Rainforest photos, Tours 

Amazon Headwaters

The Flooded Forest

Shadow of an indigenous lowland Quichua hunter over a freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon sp.) known locally as "puma raya" for its cat-like spots. Hunted with a lance hand-carved from the Pambil palm (Iriatrea deltoidea), a drip of water falls from the spear's tip.

This is an opportunity to address the circumstances that lie behind similar images as photographers work in indigenous environments. I was traveling with my lowland Quichua friend and guide Fausto. We came upon a man who was fishing for a lowland Quichua wedding party feast in the community of Pañanocha. The animal was speared before we arrived at this beach, and not because I was toting a camera. I did not request he kill the animal and I offered no reward for the "photo op." It's important to note that this ray was not killed as part of a commercial "bushmeat" or over-harvesting scenario.

While this is not a protected species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates population surveys are needed to understand the status of many Potamotrygon rays in the neotropics. According to local accounts, this species is common in the Pañacocha system. The area is remote and lowland Quichua hunt the rays infrequently.

Pihuali lagoon in the Rio Panayacu watershed near Laguna Panacocha, upper Napo river valley, Amazonian Ecuador.