Primary students go on manatee hunt
In the waters off Belize City today there was good news and bad news. The good news is that a group of fourteen students from Belize Elementary, winners of a contest, were taken on a trip to see Belize’s manatees in the wild. The bad news is that the boat carrying six of the students–and News Five– did not manage to find any.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It was probably not one of the better days to go looking for manatees, but despite the overcast skies and choppy seas, the group was hoping against all odds that we would catch a glimpse of the gentle creatures. As we approached the area with caution, the students anxiously searched the waters for a manatee.
Nicole Auil, Manatee Researcher, CZMAI
“I would like them to see a manatee up close. I would like them to do that, but with today’s conditions we might not be able to do so. But having some sort of personal interaction helps them to become more sensitized about the animal and teach their parents essentially and their friends and relatives about manatees and let them understand how important they are and that we should protect them.”
The trip, organized by the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute is the first of several trips that was awarded to the first prize winners of a 1999 poster competition. As the students waited to see a manatee, we spoke to two of the first place winners from Belize Elementary School.
Jacqueline Woods
“Describe the poster to me, how did it look?”
Vanessa Hertular, 7 years old
“There was a boat on top and two manatees at the bottom and we were showing the engine at the bottom and they drew some seaweed and they drew some seaweed at the top and the flowers.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Who helped you to make the poster? Where did you get the information from about the manatee?”
Vanessa Hertular
“My teacher found a picture of the manatees and showed us what to draw and it had information about the manatees.”
Jacqueline Woods
What can you tell me about the manatee?”
Virginia Hsu, 9 years old
“The manatee is fat and the manatee eats seaweed and you can’t scare the manatee.”
Jacqueline Woods
“And what can we do to protect the manatee?”
Virginia Hsu
“We have to obey the law and don’t scare them and don’t touch them.”
Nicole Auil
“Although they are not driving the boats their fathers or mothers may be and when they pass a manatee area they can say “Mommy or daddy slow down the boat, there are manatees here.” Just starting to educate them from young so that when they get older they will already be influenced towards the protection of manatees.”
Several signs have been posted in the area, warning boaters to be careful. Auil says the CZMAI and the Friends of Swallow Caye Organization want to declare the site a protected area.
Nicole Auil
“What they are trying do right is get this area declared as a wildlife sanctuary. In January public workshops were held to discuss the issue of declaring this area a wildlife sanctuary because of course we need the public support before we do this and this is just the first step towards getting this area declared a wildlife sanctuary. What we would like to do eventually because right now we are just going to do the Swallow Caye area, we would like to expand it because indeed it’s not this area alone that is important. Actually the Drown Cayes, up to Rider’s Caye and Hick’s Caye and of course the Belize River is all part of one big system that we need to protect. But for right now to help with the management of touring activities in this area, we are going to have this area declared a wildlife sanctuary hopefully sometime this year.”
It is not known just how many manatees can be found at Swallow Caye but several have been regularly spotted in the area. Nicole Auil, a Manatee Researcher at CZMAI says there are many reasons why the caye has become a favorite place for the manatee.
Jacqueline Woods
“What attract manatees to this area?”
Nicole Auil
“Probably the vicinity to the Belize River. They need fresh water to drink and the vegetation around here in particular and I think that because of the shelter this island provides. It has a little channel that goes in, it is a little creek that goes in where people don’t go and I think they find refuge there from people and from storms. But it’s still uncertain because they thought was maybe there was a fresh water spring in the manatee home, but that’s not the case. Or that there was a warm water spring but that’s not the case at all because it’s just the water in the hole which isn’t very deep is actually the same that is around. So it still is a bit of a mystery to us other than it does provide shelter food and the vicinity to fresh water in the Belize River.”
Jacqueline Woods
“When you were told that you would be brought out here to Swallow Caye to actually see a manatee, how did you feel about that?”
Virginia Hsu
“I felt scared.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Why did you feel scared?”
Virginia Hsu
“Because I am afraid that the manatees will come up and the manatee scare me.”
Although we spent 30 minutes in the area, there was not a manatee in sight. However that did not stop the students from enjoying their trip.
Virginia Hsu
“I feel like it is quiet I feel like I could come one more time and I like it here.”
While the first group of students unfortunately did not spot any manatees, the second group saw not one but four. Honestly.
