Fewer than 1,000 Antillean manatees remain in Belize's coastal waters. Our chance to save them is now!
The Antillean manatee is considered globally endangered, and in Belize, is being pressured by watercraft collisions and the increasing threats to the coastal environment. The national population is estimated at between 700 and 1,000, but between 2010 and 2019, Belize has seen a marked increase in the number of manatee strandings, with 270 deaths recorded , and an increase in the number of manatee calves in the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre at Wildtracks. This rate of loss, linked primarily to tourism watercraft use in the Belize River and Belize City coastal area, is not sustainable. With the development of new cruise ship terminals in key manatee areas, the threat to the regional viability of this species is increasing.
In the last TWENTY-TWO years:
30 manatees have entered the Wildtracks Rehabilitation Centre
14 manatees have been successfully released back into the wild, with 2 in soft release and 2 in care pending their release dates.
Since 2008, Wildtracks has had a high level of success in rearing orphaned manatee calves and achieves one of the highest post-release survival rates for this species.
Wildtracks operates the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belize Fisheries Department. It collaborates with other stakeholders as a member of the National Manatee Working Group, an advisory committee to the Fisheries Department.
Wildtracks also partners with the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development, technical support for manatee conservation in one of Belize’s key manatee areas – Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary - building capacity for effective management, strengthened protocols and data analysis for aerial surveys, water quality monitoring and monitoring of seagrass and coastal development, to ensure the area continues to support its population of manatees.
So how do we rehabilitate manatees? Check out our Manatee Rehab Info Pack to find out more…