Welcome back to a conservation blog series on Belize! I recently returned from spending 10 days in the diverse Central American country as part of a Master’s program through Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Here I will be highlighting some of the conservation projects going on throughout the country in hopes to connect our Houston community with the global conservation community.
After spending a considerable amount of time in the rainforest (with the bug bites to prove it!) we spent a full day on the water with a manatee researcher, Jamal Galves, from Sea to Shore Alliance. Belize boasts one of the highest populations of the Antillean Manatees in the world, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. In the U.S. we have the other subspecies of the West Indian manatee commonly known as the Florida Manatee.
Antillean Manatees (Photo courtesy of SeaPics)
The morning was spent identifying individual manatees in a particularly dangerous speed boat area just north of Belize City where a freshwater river and the Caribbean meet. We spotted between 6-10 individual manatees, and watched closely as boats traveled through this touristy area. Manatees are largely affected by boat propeller accidents, and although they can be upwards of 1,000 lbs., they surface every few minutes to breathe (with only their nose breaking the surface). This makes them particularly vulnerable to boats speeding in heavily populated areas.
Jamal Galves-a manatee research associate in Belize
Jamal is working with local tour guide/boat operators to deliver educational workshops on how to spot manatees, learn about their behaviors, and how to avoid them with their boat propellers. This type of training is two-fold; it benefits the manatees, and it also benefits the tour operators! An increased number of healthy manatees results in more tourists, and more profits. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Tagging a manatee to help researchers understand manatee behavior in hopes to conserve them (Photo courtesy of Sea2Shore Alliance)
During the afternoon we used radio telemetry to track one of three tagged manatees. Manatees are tagged using a belt that fits loosely around the base of their tail. A tether is attached to the belt, which then connects to a floating tube that holds the transmitter (this does not harm the manatee and will break loose easily if the manatee travels into vegetation). Using radio signals, we can track the manatees and monitor their movements. This information allows researchers to better understand manatee behavior, thus helping to conserve them.
Underwater view of the tag in action (Photo courtesy of Sea2Shore Alliance)
Illustration of a tag on a manatee (Photo courtesy of www.learner.org)
More Posts Like This!
- You Better Belize It I think one Belize pun is acceptable before starting a blog on the country, right? At the end of July...
- Mosquitoes. Leg swallowing mud. Sea gull poop. Mosquitos. Leg swallowing mud. Sea gull poop. Sticky heat. Third degree sun burns. These are all of the joys of...
- The Belize Zoo After flying into Belize City, our group of 22 students and 2 instructors drove some 47km west to the Belize...
