Dead manatees may have been hit by boat

Today researchers are still not certain what may have caused the deaths of a mature female manatee and her calf. On Monday employees of Duke Marine at mile four and a half on the Northern Highway found the mammals floating near the mouth of the Belize River. A team consisting of representatives from Duke, the Wildlife Trust and Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network visited the site to conduct investigations into what caused the animals’ demise. According to researcher Nicole Auil, after conducting several tests they are unable to report on exactly what killed the mother and her calf but the larger mammal did have dislocated ribs that they suspect may have been caused by a blunt trauma, possibly a collision with a boat. Auil says because there is a lot of activity in the area, female manatees usually stay away when they are ready to give birth. They suspect the trauma may have caused the mother to go into premature labour and her calf died due to problems at birth.

Auil says although they do not have any evidence to support their suspicions she strongly urges boat operators to slow down when travelling through the mouth of the Belize River.