Manatee rescue course held at BIM
The interaction between people and those gentle sea mammals, the manatee is usually limited to brief sightings when they raise their noses and blow air above the water as we pass by in a boat. But sometime these creatures need our assistance. To help humans help the manatee there was a workshop today on manatee rescue. News Five was there.
They may prefer to live in the water but once in a while, manatees do wash up on the shore. Today marine mammal researchers from Belize, Mexico, Guatemala and the U.S. got lessons on how to rescue stranded manatees and sea turtles. According to marine specialist from the University of Miami Dr. Greg Bossart, marine mammals do get stranded quite often.
Dr. Greg Bossart, Marine Specialist
“Mammal stranding is any incidence where mammals end up on our beaches. In the US or here in Belize this happens quite frequently as individuals or in mass strandings; it is not an uncommon finding throughout the world.
According to Coastal Zone Management Institute’s manatee researcher, Nicole Auil, they have learned more than how to free stranded marine mammals but also how to examine the bodies of the dead ones.
Nicole Auil, Manatee Researcher
“Well what we are trying to do is to enhance our capacity to collect information on strandings of marine mammals and so we are learning techniques of perform necropsies, that is autopsies for these animals – for manatees, different dolphins and sea turtles as well.”
Auil also hopes that at the end of the marine mammals workshop there would be more collaboration and exchange of information between the countries represented. Arreini Palacio for News Five.
If you discover any stranded manatees or sea turtles, please do not attempt a rescue yourself but call the professionals 0-800-MANATEE.
