On Thursday August 30, Harbor Branch's Director of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation, Dr. Greg Bossart, served as supervising marine mammal veterinarian on a precedent-setting mission to airlift four endangered manatees from Villahermosa, Mexico to new homes near Cancun. For thirteen hours and over one thousand miles these animals endured the discomfort of capture, an arduous road trip by truck in the tropical Mexican heat, and a two-and-one-half hour flight to the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula.

Six Antillean manatees, (Trichechus manatus manatus) were living in a pond near the town of Jonuta, a two-hour drive over bumpy roads from Villahermosa. Officials and marine mammal specialists have been trying to secure their move to facilities where their health and welfare can be better monitored and protected.

For Dr. Bossart and the moving team, led by Mark Trimm of the Miami Seaquarium, the culmination of those efforts began early in the morning of the 30th. Accompanied by officials from Puerto Aventuras and Xcaret in Cancun, the team set out for Jonuta, arriving at dawn. A pen constructed at one end of the pond waited, gate open, for the manatees to be lured with food into the catch area. Two weeks of prior conditioning paid off, as all six manatees ventured inside the pen soon after it was baited with fresh lettuce. When the gate was tripped, the startled manatees thrashed in the water, warning of the power disguised by their normally gentle demeanor.

By dragging a weighted net through the dark, silty water, members of the capture team coralled the manatees towards the bank, where they were hauled up one and two at a time. Each was transferred to a stretcher and carried to thick foam pads arranged in a shaded area for medical examination.

The manatees displayed classic symptoms of malnourishment : sculpted facial features, ribs and shoulder blades pronounced under the skin, and a hollowing of the thoracic area; all locations that should be well rounded with body fat. One subject was estimated to be approximately 200 pounds underweight. Initial examinations by Dr. Bossart indicated that some of the manatees were anemic to some degree, evidenced by pale mucous membranes in the mouth that should reflect a healthy pink color.

Surrounded by dozens of volunteers, officials and curious onlookers, medical exams and measurements were completed on all six manatees. In addition, one of the two females that would remain at the park received an ultrasound examination to investigate a possible pregnancy. These two also had blood samples taken before being returned to the water.

For the other four, now about three hours out of the water, the journey was just beginning. These were transferred to two waiting trucks; each to carry two manatees. Many of the townspeople crowded at the scene, some seeming unsure how to react to their manatees departure. Bewildered, upset or indifferent; men, women and children watched from the street and adjacent roof tops as the manatees were loaded up. Local police monitored the loading and stood by to provide a security escort to the airport in Villahermosa, about one hundred miles away.

As the trucks navigated the narrow streets of Jonuta, men with poles ran alongside, stopping to hold up hydro lines so that the trucks could pass beneath without pulling them down. With much whistling, yelling and banging on the sides of the trucks to stop or start up again, the convoy made its way past colorful houses and shops without anyone being inadvertently electrocuted or otherwise injured.

The three-hour drive to Villahermosa was bumpy, noisy and hot. Despite the obvious discomfort of being out of water, the manatees showed remarkable calm, riding along in plywood constructed boxes on thick mats of foam. They were regularly sprayed down with cool water to maintain their body temperature and prevent their skin from becoming dessicated.

The trucks lurched along through countryside that changed from open cattle grazing land to endless miles of marsh. This region in the state of Tabasco becomes wet enough during the rainy season that rivers, streams and tributaries appear where the land had previously been dry. Manatees and dolphins can enter these bodies of water from the Gulf of Mexico travelling miles inland, only to die stranded as their temporary waterways evaporate with the onset of the dry season. As the convoy made way towards Villahermosa, countryside gave way to small villages and towns, the petrochemical processing plants at Cuidad Pemex and finally a short stretch of decent highway to the airport.

A twin-prop cargo transport with a large, empty fuselage sat ready, sharing the tarmac with two commercial passenger jets. The manatees were carried from the vans onto a baggage/cargo lift and raised to the level of the transport's loading door. They were moved inside and placed once again on their familiar foam travel pads.

Dr. Bossart conferred with the flight crew, requesting a shallow climb and descent and minimal braking of the aircraft. The manatees turned out to be excellent passengers, scarcely raising a tail paddle during the entire flight. Upon landing in Cancun, the four animals were transferred to two moving trucks: two bound for the Xcaret ecological park and two for Puerto Aventuras. The manatees protested a little at being reloaded onto trucks, doubtless cranky at being out of water for over eleven hours, and maybe recalling the torturous drive from Jonuta to Villahermosa earlier in the day.

Perhaps the most hazardous part of the entire operation was introducing the manatees to their new homes. After being out of water for so long, they were not about to wait patiently in the stretcher while the team moved it carefully down the steps and into the spring at Puerto Aventuras. Mark Trimm knew the animals would likely try to bolt once their noses hit the water, and a writhing 700-900 pound manatee could easily do serious harm to any of the handlers. As expected, each manatee was anxious to get into the water and away from humans in a hurry. However, like the rest of the operation thus far, this was completed successfully and without incident save for some clothes and cameras being splashed by the escaping manatees. As the two moved about the clear water of their large natural spring, staff placed lettuce and bundles of grass in the pool for them to eat. Hopefully even though they were too unsettled to eat right away, they were aware that an abundance of food was at hand.

Both facilities intend to breed their manatees as part of a manatee conservation/release program. Dr. Bossart will continue to provide his services as a consulting marine mammal veterinarian to both facilities from Harbor Branch.

This remarkable journey may well be a landmark for mounting similar expeditions to save other members of this critically endangered species, and to advance human understanding and appreciation of these incredible animals everywhere they exist.

Congratulations to Dr. Bossart, Mark Trimm, Puerto Aventuras and Xcaret staff, and all of the people who gave of themselves to make this mission a success.

Florida Manatees Need Your Help
In 2000, 273 Florida manatees died. Recent scientific evidence indicates that the manatee will slowly decline to extinction if this pattern is not reversed. The Florida manatee is running out of time. Help ensure its survival by contributing to HBOI research, conservation, and rescue efforts for this magnificent, gentle giant.

The Division of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation has begun fund rasing efforts to construct a new, state-of-the-art 600,000-gallon manatee rehabilitation facility to house the temporarily transplanted animals. We hope to complete the facility by the end of the year. Your tax deductable contribution will go a long way in helping Dr. Bossart and his team learn more about this threatening virus and possibly develop a cure to safeguard the endangered West Indian manatee from extinction.