Manatees begin rehabilitation in the semi-captive lake in Manacapuru, Amazonas (Brazil)

Stage of semi-captivity will allow animals to become familiar with the natural environment and seek their own food

Four male manatees from a total of 12 animals were taken at dawn last Tuesday from the tanks of the National Institute of Amazonian Research (Inpa / MCTIC) to a lake near Manacapuru (68 km from Manaus ). The translocation of the animals continues on Wednesday (16), when they will be taken four females, and on Thursday (17), one more male and three females. The work aims to ensure the gradual readaptation to nature so that in the future they can be returned to the Amazonian rivers again.

The four manatees (Rudá, Itacoati, Orebe and Gurupá) were shipped in a dump truck suitably fitted with foam mattresses, previously wet, where they were accommodated To follow a trip to a lake at the Seringal Farm, December 25, which functions as a half-breed. The operation mobilized ten collaborators, including researchers, veterinarians, biologists, caretakers and technicians from the Aquatic Mammals Laboratory (LMA / Inpa), who took turns for two hours to evaluate behavior and maintain hydration of the animals.

The activity is part of the fifth edition of the Program for Reintroduction of Amazonian Manatees, coordinated by researcher Vera Silva, LMA / Inpa leader. It has the support of the Project Museum in the Forest, a partnership of Inpa with Kyoto University in Japan.

"As the animals were raised in fiber tanks and fed artificially, this half-life stage will allow animals to become familiar with the natural environment and seek their own food," explains Silva. "And in that way, they will have an idea of ​​what they will find in nature when they are finally released," adds the researcher.

Responsible for the Amazonian Manatee Reintroduction Program, the biologist and master in Freshwater Biology and Inner Fishing by Inpa, Diogo Souza, explains that the half-breed stage favors the readaptation to the animals' nature, since the lake offers The natural conditions of the Amazonian rivers. "The lake is parallel to the river Solimões and is influenced by this river," he explains. "Although it is a closed fish pond, the waters of the river connect with the lake bringing a contribution of nutrients with the increase of plant offerings," adds Souza.


With the translocation of the 12 animals to the semi-annual, the number of manatees that are in the process of being adapted to nature increases from 10 to 22. The lake is located at Fazenda Seringal 25 de Dezembro, at kilometer 74, in the rural area Of Manacapuru, at the extension of Lago do Calado. At the site, manatees still have the opportunity to get in touch with other species of fish, chelonians and plants and explore the lake mud in search of food.



Readaptation

Inpa receives from eight to ten pups rescued per year and has a current squad of 64 animals, most of them with the potential to be returned to nature. "The success of the project has allowed more animals to be taken to semen. And with the positive results obtained in the last two years, nothing more just to accelerate the process, "celebrates Diogo Souza.

The reintroduction project of the animals had a great success after the inclusion of this intermediate phase of the half-year. Now, the process that starts with the rescue, goes through the rehabilitation, reaches the phase of the half-life until the definitive release of the animal in nature.