Manatee killed by shrimp intake pump

The discovery of a dead manatee along the coast of Belize is not an unusual occurrence, but it is a rare occasion when researchers can pinpoint the time and cause of death. On Saturday the remains of a manatee were found in Ladyville and the killer turned out to be a water intake pump at a shrimp farm. An employee of Nova Limited reported finding the carcass near the pump and reported it to the Coastal Zone Management Authority. Investigations revealed that the manatee had somehow breached two barriers–a fence and a net– designed to prevent just such incidents. Researchers believe that the mammal drowned in the thirty-inch wide intake pipe and was probably crushed as well. Nova is taking action to replace the barriers while Coastal Zone is looking for specifications for an improved design, which allows water to be sucked in, but keeps large objects out. A Coastal Zone spokesman was not aware of the situation with water intake systems at other shrimp farms along the coast.