Manatees in Trinidad and Tobago

What are Manatees?

Manatees, though they live in water, are classified as mammals because they come up to the surface every three to five minutes to get oxygen through their nostrils. In the Caribbean, we have the West Indian Manatee (Latin Name: Trichechus Manatus), also known as the ‘Sea Cow’. These gentle giants can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 1200 pounds. Their diet consists of seagrasses and small invertebrates, consuming up to 15% of their body weight in vegetation. It is believed that the lack of predators in Trinidad and Tobago allows our Manatees to live up to sixty (60) years.

Figure 1: showing a manatee floating (WNW Press Release 2021)

What is the Status of our Manatees?

In Trinidad, the Nariva Swamp is the most well-known habitat for manatees. However, based on an evaluation by UNEP/CEP in 1995, they determined that the manatee population consisted of twenty-five (25) to thirty (30) individuals in total. At that time the trend was that the population was decreasing even without any natural predators. In Trinidad and Tobago, Manatees are classified as an Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS). In 2007, the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUNC) Red List Category listed the West Indian Manatee as a Vulnerable Species. There has been no further update on the status of our Manatee population.

Figure 2: showing a manatee taking a breath (Save our Manatees, Pinterest 2021)

What is threatening our Manatees and what is Trinidad and Tobago doing about this?

Sadly, most fatalities are because of human activities. These include boating collisions, being tangled in nets, the ingestion of foreign objects such as fishhooks and trash. However, the most pressing issue facing our Manatees is its loss of habitat. Humans keep encroaching on their habitat in the search for cheaper land or squatting.

Figure 3: showing a Manatee injured by a boat propeller (The Dodo 2021)

In terms of conservation, there were educational campaigns throughout the 1980s and earlier 1990s. Many areas where our Manatees live are protected by law, but these laws are rarely enforced, and perpetrators are hardly ever captured. However, since 2006, The Matura Nation Park has been protecting a vast area of forest and it gave the residents of Grand Rivière a sense of responsibility to aid in the protection of our Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS). There have also been plans to utilize radio-telemetry (the use of radio signals to pinpoint locations) to learn more about the species but so far it has not been implemented.

 

What more do you think we can do to protect our Manatees?

Drop your suggestions in the comment section!

 

References:

Government of Trinidad and Tobago, Protected Areas and Species http://www.biodiversity.gov.tt/home/protected-areas-and-species/environmentally-sensitive-species-ess/west-indian-manatee.html

Comments

  1. Dookz1976July 29, 2021 at 11:02 AM

    We need to enforce laws that protect the animals,. All animals. Those that are endangered, even more protection and re-population efforts are supposed to be implemented. Wildlife conservation needs to be taken alot more seriously .

    ReplyDelete

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