Fewer than 1,000 Greater Caribbean manatees remain in Belize's coastal waters. Our chance to save them is now!
The Antillean manatee is considered globally endangered, and in Belize, is being pressured by watercraft collisions and the increasing threats to the coastal environment. The national population is estimated at between 700 and 1,000, but between 2010 and 2024, Belize has seen a marked increase in the number of manatee strandings, with around 40 deaths reported each year in the last four years, and an increase in the number of manatee calves in the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre at Wildtracks. This rate of loss, linked primarily to tourism watercraft use in the Belize River and Belize City waters, is not sustainable. With the development of new cruise ship terminals in key manatee areas, the threat to the regional viability of this species is increasing.
Manatee Rehabilitation at Wildtracks
As part of its Manatee Conservation Programme, Wildtracks operates the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belize Fisheries Department. It collaborates with other stakeholders as a member of the National Manatee Working Group, an advisory committee to the Fisheries Department.
In the last TWENTY-FIVE years:
30 manatees have entered the Wildtracks Rehabilitation Centre
18 manatees have been successfully released back into the wild, with 2 in soft release and 2 in care pending their release dates.
Since 2008, Wildtracks has had a high level of success in rearing orphaned manatee calves and achieves one of the highest post-release survival rates for this species, with 100% survival in the first year following release.
In 2023, Twiggy, released in 2018, was identified with a new born calf…six months later the two were identified again and doing well - an important benchmark for rehabilitation success
Wildtracks operates the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belize Fisheries Department. It collaborates with other stakeholders as a member of the National Manatee Working Group, an advisory committee to the Fisheries Department.
Wildtracks also partners with the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development, technical support for manatee conservation in one of Belize’s key manatee areas – Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary - building capacity for effective management, strengthened protocols and data analysis for aerial surveys, water quality monitoring and monitoring of seagrass and coastal development, to ensure the area continues to support its population of manatees.
So how do we rehabilitate manatees? Check out our Manatee Rehab Info Pack to find out more…
Conservation Planning for Manatees
Wildtracks takes a holistic view in its work with manatees, identifying ways in which it can strengthen manatee conservation in Belize. This includes the development of site-specific manatee conservation plans for protected areas such as Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, both established as protected areas in Belize’s National Protected Areas System for their importance in protecting manatees.
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