Feed the Rehab Manatees in Belize!

As my close friends and family know, I've been traveling to Belize every year since 1998 to study manatees and dolphins in Belize. Over the years, I've watched this tiny, under-developed country in Central America, develop one of the most comprehensive Manatee Conservation Programs in the Wider Caribbean Region. It's taken a lot of dedication and effort by a few local and international players, but it has paid off.  One example is the work done by my colleagues Paul & Zoe Walker at Wildtracks.  

During my annual field course last month, my students and I visited Wildtracks and participated in a conservation management planning session.  We also enjoyed visiting with the 2 manatees currently in the rehab program at Wildtracks. Then, during the National Manatee Working Group meeting the day before my flight home, we learned that a large female manatee had been struck by a boat in Belize City.  

Paul and Zoe, along with other colleagues from Coastal Zone, Fisheries, and Sea to Shore Alliance successfully captured and transported the injured animal to Wildtracks last week.  So, they now have 3 manatees in rehab:

• Duke, a male calf, has been in rehab for almost 8 months and is still being tube fed with an expensive formula mixture; 
• Rosie, the 1000 lb adult female rescued last week, will need to be tube fed until she begins eating on her own again. 
• Twiggy, a juvenile female who has been in rehab for over 2 years, is now feeding on her own in the lagoon - but still gets a banana water shake once a day when she comes in for night. 

During my visit with Paul and Zoe, we discussed the possibility of setting up a special fund at Sirenian International, specifically to help feed the manatees in rehab at Wildtracks. If you are able, I invite you help with your tax-deductible donation, today. Our goal is to raise $1,000 per month, which will just about cover the cost of feeding Duke & Rosie until they begin to feed on their own again!

Check out the rescue photos of Rosie & Duke on the Wildtracks Facebook Group. Then, if your budget allows, please donate online via Sirenian International where you can make a tax-deductible contribution using PayPal or Causes or Network for Good!

About the Author:  A native of the Fredericksburg area, Caryn Self-Sullivan attended Ferry Farm ES, Gayle MS, Stafford HS, and graduated from James Monroe HS in 1972.  After working locally and raising a family for 2 decades, she finally started university in 1993. Her academic journey has taken her around the world, studying and conducting research in North America, Africa, Australia, Central America and the Caribbean. Her credentials include a B.S. in Marine Science, with minors in Mathematics & Biology, from Coastal Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M.