Boats and coastal development are both impacting Efforts to protect them include effective management of critical protected areas - and manatee rehabilitation. Part of this short video captures Tess, one of the orphaned manatees, soon after she arrived at the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre at Wildtracks. Manatee calves are often so fragile when they come in, and need 24 hour critical care. Critical care is not just about dealing with the physical issues of dehydration, cuts, bruises and emaciation, but also the mental issues - calves are in constant contact with their mothers in the wild, and being orphaned adds additional stress for these calves.
Tess is now recovered and on her path through rehabilitation towards release back into the wild in another two years. Each returned calf is important to a wild population that has such low numbers - an investment in the future for this species in Belize...
Thank you, The Nature Conservancy - Belize, for highlighting Belize's manatees!