West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

Meet the manatee capture crew for Wildlife Trust, lead by Buddy Powell (captain Ahab there in the tower).

Buddy and crew recently came to Placencia Lagoon for their second year of affixing radio transmitters to West Indian Manatee. They are hoping to learn the about the distribution and ecology of West Indian Manatees in coastal Belize by tracking their movements over time and analyzing the environmental variables affecting their use of various habitats. As field work goes, this is exciting stuff.

In the first phase of the capture, the boat captain finds a manatee in water of suitable depth and then deploys a net around the animal. "Anchors" (people) then jump into the water to keep the net in place in case the manatee tries to break free or if currents shift its' position.

A secondary net is then deployed inside the first net and the manatee is drug toward the stern of the capture boat. Note that the capture boat has both a tower for spotting manatees and transom in the midships to keep the propeller away from netted manatee. When the manatee is hauled to the rear of the boat, the crew all stand in the back to submerge the stern, the manatee is pulled aboard...

...and then the fun begins.

In this picture a female manatee is laying in the capture vessel and one of the technicians is monitoring CO2 levels in it's breaths. That along with frequency of breaths, heart rate and a variety of other data are collected to ensure the manatee is safe and not overly stressed while on the boat. At that point, the alien abuduction sequence begins.

Tissue samples are taken for DNA analysis. Sonograms are recorded. Body length, fecal samples, tear samples, photographs. In the name of most holy and exact science, everything up to but not including the dreaded anal probe is visited on the manatee...

...which generally seems non-plussed by the whole event.

Finally, a strap and a buoyant radio transmitter are affixed to the tail and the manatee is slid off the stern and back into the lagoon. Last year the Wildlife Trust collared two manatees. This year they refitted the same male for another year of observation. Other manatees were marked in the Southern Lagoon near Gales Point. Biologists will use Yaggi receivers to track the manatees over the course of the next year, monitoring their movements and habitat preferences.

Belize is one of the last bastions of the West Indian Manatee. As a developing nation, the coastline and habitats of the manatee are being gradually altered. Knowing where and how and why the manatee selects habitats will help guide conservation efforts for this most unique animal.