The Manatee Conservation Center of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico announced this Friday the death of the manatee Guacarawho lived there for 14 years after being rescued in 2008 in Wakulla County, Florida.
“The most important thing is that Guacara, being a Florida manatee, contributed to the conservation of the Puerto Rican manatee, because he served as an ambassador for the species.“, thousands of people met him and learned about his history, how motor and propeller boats can make them year old, and what that entails,” shared the oceanographer. Antonio MignucciCenter Director.
Mignucci explained to The new day that the cost of care and maintenance of each manatee that is in rehabilitation amounts to about $100,000 a year. In order to operate, he estimated that the facility on the Interamericana must raise about $750,000 a year.
“That little moment when that person was running at speed, ran over that manatee (Guacara), caused the town to have to invest $100,000 a year to be able to maintain and care for it.”. (…) You have to be responsible with what you do when you go to the environment, with nature, but also with animals, especially those that are in danger of extinction,” he added.
In a publication in Facebook, the Manatee Conservation Center detailed that Guacara began to show discomfort and a change in mood. Yesterday, Thursday, he showed respiratory distress and was placed on continuous monitoring. He passed away on Thursday night.
“In summary, the trauma and injuries suffered in 2008 to its pulmonary system, caused by that boat, claimed the life of the manatee some 16 years later”mentioned the Center.
Guacara was rescued in Florida after a boat with propeller engines hit him and caused severe lung and buoyancy problems. He was referred for euthanasia after two years of treatment in Tampa Zoothe Center continued, since his condition “was not completely corrected and there were no facilities with tanks with the depth that he required to survive and maintain him in the long term.”
“At that time, the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center raised its hand and offered to give it a home with the required conditions to help in the socialization process of the manatee calves rescued in Puerto Rico. In December 2010 he was transferred to Puerto Rico on a C-130 plane from the Puerto Rico National Guardwhere he lived until yesterday,” reads the publication.
Guacara was a male, almost 10 feet long, weighing 890 pounds and about 19 years old.
At present, six manatees from Puerto Rico continue to be rehabilitated at the Center. Mignucci specified that Four of them are going to be released in December, while the other two are barely nine months old, so they need “a little while to be ready to be released.”
“We are ready all the time to receive animals that need help,” said Mignucci, adding that the Center operates through donations, and that citizens can send their donation through manatipr.org. “We are always ready and waiting to lend a hand when these animals need help.”
If you see an injured, stranded or dead manatee, contact the DRNA Vigilante Corps as soon as possible at (787) 999-2200, ext. 2911. Also, you can use the mobile application Dolphin and Whale 911.