Twenty-five Years Ago...

“We rescued a giant river otter from an abandoned zoo, where he had been mistreated, and brought him onboard the Calypso. We built him a pool, and in no time, he was swimming and splashing and having fun. We fed him freshly caught fish, which he would grab with his front paws and bite, squealing with delight, and then always thank us by nuzzling us. During his two months on-board, Cacha, as we named the giant river otter, became our friend. We then released him in a lake where a family of giant river otters lived, and Cacha swam away—but not before nuzzling Captain Cousteau and Jean-Michel for one last time.”  – Albert Falco

Now...

Biggest change in the last 25 years is the creation of farmlands on riverbanks caused by savage deforestation, the increase in population in the big cities, and how the Indians have traded in their feathers and traditional garb for American-style T-shirts.   - Albert Falco

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(l-r) Albert Falco and Tim Trabon

Photo courtesy of Tim Trabon

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“As a sailor, navigating the river, I was most impressed by the spectacle put on by this seemingly endless rainforest, which you would never encounter out on the ocean.”  - Albert Falco

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(l-r) Albert Falco and Maryvonne Inizan

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