Vuototecnica vacuum cups will be used by researchers of Jonian Dolphin Conservation to fix cameras on dolphins’ backs. Rather, it is a crittercam, specially created to study the behaviour and the natural environment and lives of a particular species of dolphin, the Stenella Coeruleoalba. The research is conducted in their natural habitat, in the Ionian Sea, more specifically in the Gulf of Taranto.
“We are self-financing a project which will last until September 2012 and the material supplied to us by Vuototecnica is indispensable for implementation,” explains Carmelo Fanizza, who is on the front lines when it comes to the protection and study of Cetaceans of Taranto’s coastal strip, with Jonian Dolphin Conservation. “In collaboration with the University of Taranto, in fact, we are shooting footage for a documentary, which will be called ‘The Dolphins of Taras’. Usually we utilize special materials that are produced in the USA, but we wanted to begin shooting in the short term, so we found Vuototecnica via an on-line search and we immediately got in touch.”
What was exciting for the researchers of Jonian Dolphin Conservation was the willingness and helpfulness of the Vuototecnica experts. They appreciated the interest that shown in the project and the quickness of the reply that was given.
“They immediately gave us two types of vacuum cups for trials,” continued Carmelo Fanizza, “the first samples were too small to support the weight of the crittercams, but the second set had vacuum cups that were a few millimetres larger and were perfect when used as crittercam supports in water and to follow each and every movement of the dolphins.”
