Historical release of Amazonian manatees reinforces the importance of conservation of the species

The Reintroduction activity is carried out by the Friends of the Manatee Association (Ampa), which has been working for 18 years on the conservation of aquatic mammals in the Amazon.

Twelve Amazonian manatees, a species that is on the list of animals threatened with extinction, were returned to nature this weekend in the Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) Piagaçu-Purus (173 km from Manaus). The action is part of the Manatee Reintroduction Program of the Amazon Aquatic Mammals Project, conducted in partnership with the National Institute for Amazon Research (Inpa/MCTIC).

The Reintroduction activity, which has already returned to the rivers of the Amazon region more than 30 animals that were victims of poaching, is run by the Friends of the Manatee Association (Ampa), which has been working for 18 years on the conservation of Amazonian aquatic mammals.

According to the project's coordinator, Inpa researcher Vera da Silva, the return of the animals is one of the most important stages for the project. "The reintroduction of the manatees to nature shows us that we have managed to conclude the objectives of rescuing, rehabilitating and returning these animals, which are threatened with extinction, to nature," she explains.

The person responsible for the Reintroduction Program, Diogo de Souza, emphasizes the fundamental support of the community at this stage. "Without the support of the community we wouldn't be able to do anything. They are extremely important for the success of the project. They are the ones who do the telemetry monitoring of the manatees that receive the belt with the transmitter and are able to collect data that help in the research for conservation", says the biologist reminding that it is former manatee hunters who currently do the monitoring of the animals.

The Amazonian Manatee Reintroduction is supported by the Museum in the Forest Project, Kyoto University, the São Paulo Aquarium, and the State Secretary of Environment (Semas).

Baptism of the manatee

One of the 12 manatees chosen to return home didn't have a name yet, number #183, as it was called by the project team, was given an indigenous name during the "Peixe-boix sem nome não tem graça" campaign. The name chosen was "Iberaba", which means "the brightness of the water".

The Environmental Education activity was held at the Bom Jardim Municipal School in the Cuianã community, a place close to where the animals were released. For the Aquatic Mammals of the Amazon Project's environmental educator, Jamylle de Souza, the action strengthens the community's protagonism regarding the responsibilities of keeping the aquatic environment healthy and also to alert about the importance of the species for the aquatic ecosystems.

"The educational actions, especially with managers, teachers, and other local players, motivate young people and children to act on behalf of conservation, especially of manatees, which have a strong history of being hunted locally," said the biologist, adding that when young people feel valued they end up getting more involved in the activities.

With information from the press office