Manatees.. Belize's gentle giants! There are only an estimated 700 to 1,000 Antillean manatees left in Belize, and increasing numbers of orphaned calves being rescued. Wildtracks manages Belize's Manatee Rehabilitation Centre, and currently has eight manatees in care. Four of these are now ready to go back to the sea, to re-join the wild population. This project is raising funds to ensure that their release is successful.
Belize's manatees are under threat - over the last ten years, manatee deaths from boat traffic has increased to between 30 and 40 deaths a year - an unsustainable loss to the population. This has resulted in increasing numbers of orphaned manatee calves entering the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre. It isn't enough to just rescue them - it is important that they are successfully returned to the wild population, and contribute to maintaining Belize's manatee population in the future.
Four of the eight manatee calves in care are now ready to return to the wild population. A critical barrier is having the equipment in place for ensuring the each manatee has the greatest chance of success as wild manatees. This project ensures that each manatee is fitted with a satellite tag to track its movements for a minimum of eight months. The information informs future releases, and also helps identify any problems the animals encounter early in the release, enabling a quick response.
The Manatee Rehabilitation Centre is part of Belize's national conservation strategies for this endangered species. Over the last five years there have been alarming numbers of manatee deaths in areas of high boat activity. Manatee calves are reliant on their mothers for up to two years - when the mother is killed, the orphaned calf's only chance of survival is to be rescued and rehabilitated. Every orphaned manatee that is able to return to the wild strengthens the wild population.
