Thursday, April 25, 2024
Among researchers it is often referred to as “the forgotten animal”, even though it has been around for over 45 million years. The West African manatee is one of three manatee types, which includes the Amazonian and Indian. All three appear on the United Nations red list of endangered species. While there is very little known about the exact numbers or distribution of the West African manatee specifically, they are believed to be the most threatened of the three groups and continue to be hunted illegally for their prized meat, hides and bones.
Lucy Keith-Diagne is a scientist with the U.S.-based EcoHealth Alliance and has been patiently tracking these rare creatures for over ten years.
“In Africa, they are the least studied large animal. I think part of that is they are very mysterious. They live in murky water and extremely remote places. Most people see them dead or in a stew-pot, unfortunately.”
Manatees are migratory and generally shy, solitary creatures. They are also slow breeders, mating about every two years and having only one calf at a time. Their unusual sightings have, in part, made the manatees something of an enigma. Among certain fishing communities in West Africa, they are even feared.
In Dakar, the environmental NGO, Oceanium, has been working to protect manatees along the Senegal River and in estuaries and mangroves in the southern part of the country. El Ali Haida is director and works on the ground in remote communities with the ‘thioubalo’ people – those who live by the water.
“The manatee is a very mystic animal,” says Haida. “In the villages of Casamance, the hunters must wear many different talismans and perform a ritual that can last up to two hours before they even dare to hunt the manatee.”
Mamiwata is the name given to the spirit that supposedly lives in the manatee. This spirit is always considered to be a mermaid, but according to Keith-Diagne, the interpretations of why she exists differ across countries.
“In Gabon, it is a beautiful young woman who pulls men underneath the water and takes them to her lair – never lets them free,” explains Keith-Diagne. “Basically, I think it is an explanation for fishermen who drown – they just never come home to their families. But in Nigeria, mamiwata is a very positive thing. If she catches you, she takes you to her lair and then releases you. Then your family will be prosperous for the rest of your life. And then on a totally different perspective, mamiwata is another name for prostitute in Cameroon. There are very few places though where the legend translates to the real animal, in the sense that people respect it enough not to kill it.”
The manatees are herbivores and live off over 60 different species of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. Every day they can eat up to 15 percent of their body weight. Their biggest threats are directed hunting, unintentional trappings in nets and the construction of underwater dams. For those who actively hunt the manatees, they are driven by huge financial incentives.
“The meat from one manatee can weigh between 400 -500 kilogrammes,” says Haida. “When sold at a market in Senegal at 2 dollars per kilo, this represents a lot of money.”
In Senegal, as in every other West African country where they are found, the manatees are legally protected. Yet, a lack of law-enforcement and a poor understanding about the animal mean the number of manatees continues to decline.
Conservation efforts
Momar Sow oversees a manatee conservation project in six West African countries with the NGO Wetlands. From his experience working with fishermen across the region, he believes the social awareness about manatees differs from country to country.
“Fortunately, here in Senegal, as in The Gambia and Guinea, they have a traditional respect for these species,” says Sow.
“It is very rare to find young hunters. Most are old. In many cases, traditional pratices have not been passed down to young boys. This is lucky for us if they do not know how to kill manatees.”
According to Sow the “hot-spot” for manatee hunting is Sierra Leone. It amazes him, because it is the only country where he can find people killing manatee as if they were really cows. He says the mammals actually come right up to the rice farms to eat the farm.
“In some countries, (the manatee) is considered like a human. And yet, in some others they just do not care because of their own personal stories,” explains Sow. “You have some refugees in these places, so there the manatee is just considered a meat.”
The work of organizations like Wetlands and Oceanium has been vital to helping build awareness around this otherwise ‘forgotten animal’. Oceanium has directly helped save 22 manatees in Senegal and are working with locals to develop eco-tourism projects where tourists pay to see manatees in the wild.
Haida believes this may be the best solution in a country where people are more concerned with putting food on the table every day than protecting a rare animal for the future.“Only when the environment allows people to make money will people have incentive to protect their environment,” he says.
* Published under an agreement with Street News Service.