Dr. Katie Tripp, SMC's Director of Science and Conservation, bottle feeds Twiggy, an orphaned manatee calf, at Wildtracks, a manatee rehabilitation center in Belize.

Article and Photos* by Katie Tripp, Ph.D.,
Director of Science and Conservation, Save the Manatee Club
(* except where otherwise noted)

Trip Dates: June 2-7, 2010

High rises in the downtown Miami area, bordering Biscayne Bay, south of the Port of Miami and the Miami River.  This area is both an important habitat for manatees and a popular boating destination.

After the plane took off from the Miami International Airport, we flew over Miami’s coastal areas and I spotted the high rises along the Miami River. Last spring, I viewed this river from a much different vantage point, boating along its length and marveling at the heavily urbanized and industrialized landscape that was defined as manatee critical habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2009, I was in Miami on multiple occasions to defend the County’s Manatee Protection Plan, which was (and still is) under attack by development interests. Today, from a safe distance of several thousand feet, I watched two boats approach each other in Biscayne Bay, their wakes trailing behind them, and I thought of not only our manatees in Florida who we work so tirelessly to protect, but of the manatees in Belize who also face increased threats from watercraft collisions and expanding coastal development. It is these expanding threats that are taking me to Belize.

In the last year, Save the Manatee Club has been expanding our support of and partnership with a manatee rehabilitation center in Sarteneja, Belize called Wildtracks. We have provided formula to feed orphaned calves, money to support the hire of a native Sartenejan to assist with manatee care and education and outreach, funds to help replace a failing heater last winter, and supplies to help rangers patrol a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Save the Manatee Club has recognized that the problems emerging in Belize are similar to those we have faced in Florida. We are hoping to use our expertise in policy and management to help safeguard Belize’s manatees and prevent the level of chaos from developing that plagues our waterways in Florida. This trip to Wildtracks would allow me to see the facility firsthand; meet Paul and Zoe Walker, the dedicated folks who operate the facility on a shoestring and the lovely manatees they are rehabilitating; and learn more about the short- and long-term needs of Wildtracks and Belize’s manatees so that we can assist in the conservation of this species within Belize for generations to come.

Retrieving luggage on the airstrip in Sarteneja.

After several transitions to smaller and smaller aircraft, I boarded a plane that would take me to Sarteneja, where there was no airport, just a dirt airstrip. Waiting for me at the edge of the runway was Zoe Walker, standing next to her SUV, which was parked alongside the runway. As I stepped off the plane, hunched over to avoid hitting my head, she reached out her hand and said, “you must be Katie.” I showed her a large black dive bag filled with 40 pounds of powdered Esbilac that is used to feed manatee calves and two pairs of binoculars and said “this is all for you.” All of these items, right down to the bag I transported everything in was donated to SMC through our Amazon.com Wish List, including the Esbilac formula, for which they have a continual need.

On our way to Wildtracks, we stopped at the market for some supplies. As we were leaving, several children stopped Zoe and conversed with her in Spanish (Sarteneja is a Spanish-speaking village in an English-speaking country), asking if their church group could come see the manatees in several days. Zoe said that they would be welcome and it was already easy to see that there was an interest in manatees in this community, which was quite encouraging.

The fishing fleet lies in wait for the start of the lobster season.

Hilmar stands next to the lagoon, proudly wearing an SMC t-shirt and holding some of the educational materials we provided to help him teach children about manatees.

As we continued on to Wildtracks, we came to the edge of the village that meets the sea. A number of sailboats sat at the water’s edge, with men applying fresh coats of paint and conducting other repairs. Zoe explained that the lobster season was about to begin. The men spend days at a time out on the reefs, then sail to Belize City to sell their catch. During the season, they use the bus to return to Sarteneja to visit their families, only bringing their boat back to Sarteneja at the end of the season.

I was familiar with the importance of the lobster fishery to this community and also some of the problems it faces, since we had learned about Hilmar Salazar in 2009. Hilmar has spent his whole life in Sarteneja and has spent most of his adult life as a fisherman, particularly for lobster. Last season, finding the fishery in decline, Hilmar remembered Zoe, who had visited one of his classes years ago when he was in school. He went to Wildtracks looking for opportunities. Wildtracks was in need of assistance to care for Twiggy, and SMC was able to benefit both Wildtracks and Hilmar by helping to fund his employment. Hilmar has exhibited a great talent for education and his passion for the environment is obvious.

After several more minutes of twists and turns in the SUV, we left behind the main houses of the village and drove into an area where the road was flanked by trees, with only the narrow dirt road separating the foliage. We came to a gate that marked the start of Paul and Zoe’s property. As the dirt road ended, we saw a white stucco house in front of us- we had arrived!

Twiggy and Josie

The road leading to Wildtracks.

Moments after unloading our bags in the house, I was asked whether I wanted to unpack or meet the manatees. Thinking that was a silly question, we headed outside to meet Twiggy and Josie, the two manatees that were currently being rehabilitated at Wildtracks. These two young, female manatees spend their afternoons in a lagoon enclosure, which will likely help with their transition back to a natural environment following their rehabilitation.

Twiggy came to Wildtracks in July 2009 and became the 8th manatee cared for by Wildtracks since they began their manatee work in 1999. She was rescued off the barrier islands as an orphan calf. At the time of her rescue, her face was badly lacerated, likely caused by her washing up against an oyster bed and being too weak to move away from the sharp oyster shells. Twiggy was rescued off the barrier islands, which is where Placencia is located. Increasing numbers of manatees are becoming the victims of boat strikes in the area as this tourist destination grows. The number of hotel rooms in Placencia is scheduled to quadruple in the next two years, which is very likely to create a parallel increase in boat traffic, thus putting manatees at greater risk, unless protective measures can be established. SMC is committed to working with partners in Belize to make such protections possible.

The lagoon enclosure where Twiggy and Josie spend their afternoons.

Twiggy (right) and Josie (left) make their first appearance, surfacing side by side in the lagoon, as they often do.

Top: Twiggy’s face was very badly damaged at the time of her rescue, but when I visited her in June (bottom) there were almost no signs of damage. In the photo at bottom, she is attempting to grab blades of seagrass in her pool as she learns to eat solid food and make use of her prehensile lips – that function much like the trunk of their close relative, the elephant. (Top photo courtesy of Wildtracks)

On March 22, 2010, we received an e-mail that Wildtracks had received a second young manatee- Josie. Josie was found by fishermen in Sarteneja. She was so sick that the men were able to pick her up in their arms and transport her straight to Wildtracks. This simple act is a testament to the work that Wildtracks has already done in Sarteneja. There was a day not too long ago, when these men might not have seen the value in rescuing this ailing manatee or known where to transport her. This type of citizen-driven involvement is key, and is something we are hoping to foster by aiding Wildtracks with their education and outreach efforts in Sarteneja and throughout Belize.

Josie was the victim of a watercraft strike that left her with several visible injuries, including a severe laceration on her lip. Josie was in very poor health when she was discovered, and her survival was questionable. In the days after her rescue, Josie suffered severe bouts of diarrhea that caused the young manatee to lose nearly 8 pounds of her body weight. By the time of my visit in June, Twiggy and Josie had bonded and the plan was to release the two manatees together, with Josie serving as a sort of big sister to Twiggy. Josie continued to progress and I received updates from Wildtracks in July and August that indicated Josie was doing well. Unfortunately, Josie died very unexpectedly on August 9th, reinforcing the fact that the best strategy is to protect these manatees from harm and safeguard them as much as possible from human dangers and disturbances, because even with the best care, sometimes these injured manatees cannot be saved.

As development increases, there is a growing possibility that Wildtracks could have more than one manatee under their care at any time. Their current facilities are not conducive to this, so they have been undertaking a project to build a new, much larger concrete pool that could accommodate multiple, large manatees and is equipped with a loading dock to assist with the transport of these larger individuals.

Left: A small, shallow pool under a screened enclosure serves as an emergency room for manatees requiring round the clock care. A slightly larger and deeper pool outside houses smaller manatees once they are stable. These manatees are then hand carried by stretcher into the lagoon for several hours during the day, but are returned to the outdoor pool overnight for their safety. Right: The new, larger pool was under construction during my visit. The concrete pool will be backfilled with dirt and the platform to the right will serve as a loading and unloading platform.

After my visit, the completion of the new pool was stalled by a lack of funding. Fortunately, due to the generosity of one of our SMC member families, we were able to provide Wildtracks with the funds they needed to finish the pool and prepare it for use. Wildtracks is still in need of several other infrastructure upgrades, including a silt pump that is posted to our Amazon.com Wish List.

Work at Wildtracks

Manatees eat a lot- 10% of their body weight each day. While Twiggy and Josie were still consuming a lot of formula on my last visit, they were also starting to eat vegetation. Wildtracks is hoping to help create a self-sustaining supply of water hyacinth and some other plants by growing them in two ponds they have created on the property. At the time they constructed the ponds, they didn’t know their resident geese would have such an appetite for the plants, so they are in need of fencing to keep the geese away and allow the aquatic plants to grow. In the long run, this will cut down on their costs, since they currently have to get aquatic plants delivered by truck to satisfy the appetites of their ever-munching manatee residents.

Left: Ponds dug to grow water hyacinth await fencing to keep away the geese, pictured at right, who appear to enjoy the hyacinths as much as the young manatees at Wildtracks.

At Wildtracks, manatee feeding is the first priority of the day. I had the very special opportunity to bottle feed Twiggy after spending a little time in the pool with her, letting her get comfortable with me. Twiggy can be a finicky eater sometimes, although she seems to have an appetite for t-shirts- she enjoyed mouthing at my white SMC t-shirt. The shipment of Esbilac I carried down was put into use immediately, as Paul said they had just run out of formula that very same day. One 5 lb. bag of Esbilac feeds a calf like Twiggy for a week. This formula is available on our Amazon.com Wish List, as are the vitamin supplements that get added to the formula to provide even more balanced nutrition.

Twiggy and I get to know each other before I attempt to bottle feed her.(Photo courtesy of Wildtracks)

Wildtracks volunteers collect seagrass from the lagoon, which is then “planted” into PVC pipes (above) and weighted down in the manatee pool for their eating enjoyment.

The next task of the day for volunteers at Wildtracks is to pick seagrass from the lagoon, which gets “planted” into PVC pipes which are then sunk to the bottom of the rehabilitation pool. This allows the manatees to simulate foraging, which is needed for their eventual release.

Wildtracks relies heavily on volunteers like those pictured at left, to provide daily care for their manatees in rehabilitation. A minimum one month commitment is preferred for volunteers, and the maximum stay is usually one year. Volunteers pay $65 per week U.S. to cover their food expenses but lodging is provided free of charge. Please contact ktripp@savethemanatee.org if you are interested in volunteering for Wildtracks. You can also make a donation to SMC to help sponsor one or more Wildtracks volunteers. Volunteers are housed in cabanas. My cabana came complete with an iguana that lived in a bird house high up in a tree outside my door. Other visitors to my cabana included a tree snake in my thatched roof and a scorpion that I found atop my suitcase as I was packing- apparently he wanted a free trip to Disney World!

During my stay, Twiggy and Josie both received health assessments, with the help of U.S.G.S. Sirenia Project and Sea to Shore Alliance staff that were visiting to conduct assessments on free-ranging manatees in other parts of the country.

A Partnership for the Future of Belize

I record blubber thickness measurements for Cathy Beck of the U.S.G.S. Sirenia project during health assessments for Twiggy and Josie.

SMC’s goal for Wildtracks goes beyond simply providing financial support to assist with their very important manatee rehabilitation activities. We are hoping to work with Wildtracks and other partners in Belize to help shape the future of this country in a way that will allow for proactive management of manatees and their habitat, facilitated by well-educated citizens and responsible development practices. In developing countries like Belize, development patterns mimic the growing pains that Florida has experienced- more boats, more people, more habitat loss, and more overall threats to the species. We are hoping to use the expertise we have developed as an organization working in Florida, to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future for manatees in Belize. For example, there have been at least 7 watercraft mortalities in the Belize River in 2009-2010, related to high speed tour boats that transport tourists from cruise ships in Belize City. There is an approximately 0.6 mile area that is of greatest concern. Communication with the tour operators is needed, as is signage to mark the waterways. Save the Manatee Club has committed $1,000 U.S. to develop and produce these signs. If you would like to help fund this much needed signage, please make a donation to SMC today.

Local citizens attend a community meeting on a Saturday afternoon to learn about initiatives in their village to support ecotourism. Local women who participate in the Homestay program were among those who attended the community meeting.

According to Wildtracks, anyone over the age of 40 who grew up in Sarteneja has probably eaten manatee meat. However, since Wildtracks began its manatee work in 1999, the local people have developed a real pride in manatees. With that knowledge gained, Wildtracks is now working to teach local residents about the importance of protecting habitat, and SMC has offered assistance with education and outreach materials that can assist with this teaching effort that needs to extend beyond Sarteneja throughout all of Belize’s coastal areas. One of the goals of Wildtracks and other groups working in and around Sarteneja is to transition the economy from a fishery-based system, since target species like lobster and conch are in decline, and develop a sustainable ecotourism economy. While I was visiting, a town meeting was held where various groups, including Wildtracks, who are attempting to promote this shift in the economy, spoke to other local residents about the benefit of this transition. The reality is that fishing can no longer sustain these people, and the reefs on which they depend are becoming further depleted and damaged each season. One of the initiatives discussed was the Homestay program, where tourists to Sarteneja can stay with a local family in their home, and even eat home cooked meals. This program is beneficial in a community that is trying to attract visitors, but does not want to attract hotels or resorts that are inconsistent with the character of this small village.There is already development pressure. Hilmar and I rode bicycles around the village and he showed me the larger homes and plots of land that were purchased by foreigners. These homes do not match the character of the village and the people of Sarteneja must be educated about the dangers selling their land to the highest bidder. The presence of Wildtracks in this village, as the only manatee rehabilitation center in all of Belize, is a definite benefit for the community. It is our hope that in promoting Sarteneja as a tourist destination, and helping to ensure that it becomes an example of ecotourism done right, Wildtracks can become self-sustaining in the future, receiving donations from visitors that will provide them with the resources they need.

As a tourist destination, Sarteneja offers nature, history, and culture. Mayan ruins are located within miles of the town. Hilmar was able to take me by boat to Cerros, where the closest ruins are located. After visiting Cerros, we boated to the Corozol Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary likely contains the second largest population of manatees in Belize. The Sanctuary is located near Sarteneja, and Corozal Bay separates Belize from Mexico.

Left: A Save the Manatee Club “Caution” sign is posted on the ferry platform. Right: A “Manatee Area” sign is posted at the entrance of Cayo Falso, one of the important areas within the Corozol Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Although manatees are protected in both Belize and Mexico, there has been a problem in recent years with Mexican people coming into Belizean waters by boat, slaughtering manatees, and taking the meat back to Mexico. There is a comprehensive enforcement strategy that has been agreed to in recent months, which will hopefully eliminate this illegal activity. If this practice can be eliminated, Corozal Bay may become a highly suitable release site for manatees that have been rehabilitated at Wildtracks. The boat traffic is quite low in this area, compared to other sections of Belize. Five years ago, aerial surveys were used to estimate the Belizean manatee population at 800-900 animals. In upcoming years, it is hoped that more can be learned about the actual numbers of manatees inhabiting this region and how they utilize the habitat to travel, feed, breed, and otherwise live in this area.

An area slated for development along the coastline between Cerros and Sarteneja. Such development must be preceded by management and education plans to protect natural resources.

Fish pen off the coast of Sarteneja. Small manatees can sometimes become trapped in these structures, so it is imperative that fishermen know whom to contact in the event that this happens.

On our boat ride back in to Sarteneja, we spotted several areas that had been purchased for development. One was decorated with thatched roof huts at the water’s edge, and between the huts, a white sign depicted each plot on the property, with a base price of $250,000. The thought of resorts popping up on this quiet coastline, and the sound of wave runners buzzing like gnats in the shallow waters offshore was enough to make me cringe. It developments like this will occur, an ironclad education program must accompany it, and the value of protecting manatees must be conveyed.

One goal for the future, not only in Sarteneja, but throughout Belize, is to help improve the stranding response. Even in Florida, citizens often do not know who to call if they see a manatee in distress. The same problem exists in Belize, and we have discussed with Wildtracks the possibility of identifying a central phone number in the country to which all manatee emergencies can be reported (like the FWC hotline in Florida), and creating a boat decal displaying that number- very similar to what we recently did in Florida. In the days before my visit, Wildtracks was contacted by local fishermen because a manatee calf had become trapped in a fish pen like the one pictured above. Due to their timely call, the manatee was able to be freed and reunited with its mother. The best possible outcome was achieved because the locals knew that this incident should be reported, and they knew to whom it should be reported.

Although Wildtracks’ educational efforts have until now been focused on school groups from various areas of Belize, Zoe is beginning to expand the program to encompass Belizeans of all ages. Additional funds are needed to allow Hilmar to continue his work at Wildtracks, including an expansion of his education work. We are hoping that SMC’s members can help us raise the funds we need to make this a reality for Hilmar and Wildtracks.

Paul believes that if we can really ramp up education efforts within the next year, we can stay ahead of the development curve and really influence what the future looks like for manatees in Belize. However, Paul also mentioned that the current levels of human-related mortality in the country are completely unsustainable and must be minimized quickly- a goal that can only be accomplished with financial backing and support from the local people and their government. Save the Manatee Club is committed to making a lasting difference for manatees in Belize, but we need your help. The following link is a table that contains a list of the items/supplies/support that is needed (pdf). If you can help in any way, either by making a monetary donation for one of the items here, or donating one or more items for Belize from our Amazon.com Wish List (i.e. Esbilac, vitamins, or silt pump), you will be helping to make a better future for manatees in Belize. In addition, raingear, dry bags, water proof cameras with memory cards (or a camera with an underwater housing), laptop computers or netbooks (free of personal files and in good working order) and Pelican cases are needed for the Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteer Rangers. If you would like to provide a donation for a specific item, or have any other questions, please contact me directly so I can personally ensure that your funds are used as you wish. My e-mail address is ktripp@savethemanatee.org and our office phone number is 407-539-0990.

This is a very important time for Belize’s manatees. The possibilities are endless, but we must act now to safeguard manatee habitat in Belize, expand education programs, and put Wildtracks in the best position possible to care for manatees in Belize. With your help, I know we can achieve these goals.

Left: A church group made the long walk from town to Wildtracks on a Sunday afternoon and were given a tour of the facility by Hilmar, including the kitchen area where the manatee formula is prepared.  Right: The children were then given Save the Manatee Club stickers and activity books to help further their learning about manatees.

If you would like to contribute to the SMC's efforts in Belize, please Donate Now!

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