Manatee in danger

1996/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia

More than a hundred manatees arrive at the Florida coast dead. Manatia is in danger of extinction and biologists are very concerned about the future of this animal.

One hundred and thirty-one manatees have been found on the beaches of Florida and three more appear each day, all of them landed dead. Biologists and researchers try to find out what has caused the death of these mammals, since apparently those exposed on the beaches seem healthy.

Autopsies have shown that everyone has died from pneumonia, but they have not found the cause of this disease. Experts have mentioned two hypotheses: manatees may contain some viruses or have been contaminated by a toxic red tide. The toxic tide forms when some aquatic plants bloom and the poison kills mammals. The blood of manatees is examined in order to obtain concrete answers to these deaths.

Meanwhile, biologists are very concerned. The dead manatees, being adults, were at the time of fertilization, so their death is even more serious. Manatees are losing their habitats because inhabited coasts are increasingly industrialized and therefore more polluted. The passage of the boats forces the manatees to suffer numerous blows and, in addition, to get sick with ease.