Behavior and habitat use of released rehabilitated Amazonian manatees in Peru

Published source details Landeo-Yauri S.S., Castelblanco-Martínez N. & Williams M. (2017) Behavior and habitat use of released rehabilitated Amazonian manatees in Peru. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 12, 17-27.
Share Tweet Email

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Rehabilitate and release injured, sick or weak marine and freshwater mammals Action Link

Rehabilitate and release injured, sick or weak marine and freshwater mammals

A study in 2011 at a freshwater site in El Dorado Lake, Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Peru (Landeo-Yauri et al. 2017) found that three rehabilitated female Amazonian manatees Trichechus inunguis that were released into the wild survived for at least 3–5 months, and two rehabilitated male manatees dispersed away from the release site. Three rehabilitated female manatees were tracked for 91–161 days after release and were found to use appropriate habitats at the release site (areas with floating vegetation). Contact was lost with the two rehabilitated male manatees 1–11 days after release when they dispersed to other areas. Five rescued manatees that were either pets (two males, two females) or illegally traded (one female) were rehabilitated with veterinary treatment and a diet of water lettuce Pistia stratiotes. After 13–31 months of rehabilitation, each of the five manatees (aged 32–79 months) was transported by seaplane, fitted with a radio-tag and placed in a floating cage (10 x 10 x 3 m) within a lake for an acclimatization period of three months before being released in July 2011. Radio-tracking was carried out between 0600 and 1800 h during 161 days in July–November 2011.

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)