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Debris ingestion by the Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus)
Fernanda Loffler Niemeyer Attademo1, Deisi Cristiane Balensiefer2, Augusto Carlos da Bôaviagem Freire3
1National Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals (Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos - CMA), Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - ICMBio), Estrada do Forte Orange, s/n., Itamaracá, PE 53900-000, Brazil; Department of Veterinary Medicine (Departamento de Medicina Veterinária), Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE), R. Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Recife, PE 52171-900, Brazil.
Abstract:
The Antillean manatee inhabits coastal regions of North and Northeastern Brazil and currently is considered an endangered species in the country. Aiming to gather information for the development of public policies focusing on the conservation of manatees, the National Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing these mammals since the 1980s. Over the last 36 years, 40 manatees were released by the CMA/ICMBio and four of them were rescued again due to debris ingestion. Two of these manatees died and the other two were taken back into captivity for a new rehabilitation process. The four mammals had confirmed diagnosis of plastic debris ingestion. These findings demonstrate that the environment where the manatees live after being released had a significant amount of garbage which may hinder the success of the species conservation in Brazil.
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