Another manatee killed by boat propeller

A boat’s propeller is believed to have caused the death of yet another manatee in the coastal waters off Belize City. According to the Wildlife Trust, on Sunday they were called out to the area in front of the Mexican Cultural Institute after witnesses saw one of the mammals drifting in the sea, apparently dead. Today local experts conducted a necropsy on the carcass to determine the cause of death.

Jamal Galvez, Field Assistant, Wildlife Trust
“The necropsy showed that it had a blunt trauma from a hit from a boat on its dorsal side and the whole back bone is trashed, ripped out of order, and the rib cage is really damaged. That’s one of the reasons why we emphasize that boats slow down and notice the boat speed zone and try to look out for manatees, because we have two dead manatees for this year and it’s getting worse every year. So we want to emphasise that they be careful along the coast of Belize.“

Nicole Auil, Belize Programme Manager, Wildlife Trust
“We are working with the three wildlife sanctuary community groups. The three wildlife sanctuaries are the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and they have their signs, they should be implementing them this month; The Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary Community Group, they have their signs and they will be putting them up in the southern lagoon soon; and the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary – these are the three manatee wildlife sanctuaries.“

The warning signs read: Manatee Area, No Wake by Order of the Port Authority Commission. According to Auil, the Wildlife Trust is also hoping to put up another sign near the mouth of the Belize River.