The manatees Loíza and Taicaraya They joined the population of aquatic mammals on Tuesday that inhabits the east of Puerto Rico, after the Caribbean Manati Conservation Centerfrom the Inter -American University of Puerto Rico (UIPR), will release them in Rio Grande.
The reunion of these mammals with their natural habitat was given After they were rescued, when they had just born days, and rehabilitated, for more than five yearsin the center, located in the UIPR Bayamon enclosure.
The liberation of Loíza, of 506 pounds, and of Taicaraya, of 546, took place at the mouth of the Holy Spirit River, where the team of volunteers and marine biologists transferred them to the sea water.
“This area, where the river meets the sea, is ideal for the release of manatees. It offers a combination of fresh water and salt water, marine herbs and coral reefs, essential for its rehabilitation to wildlife ”he said Carla Riverarescue coordinator of the Center and Professor of Marine Sciences of the UIPR, in a press release.
Loíza was rescued, in critical condition, in December 2019, in a river pipe that bears the same name. Meanwhile, Taicaraya was found stranded, in May 2020, by a group of citizens in Luquillo.
“His rehabilitation took approximately five years, during which specialized feeding protocols for orphan manatees were implemented”explained, meanwhile, the doctor Antonio Mignuccidirector of the center and also professor of marine sciences.
The center will monitor the reincorporation of both manatees, with satellite radio, in collaboration of the Alma de Bahía Foundation, by Bahía Beach Resort.
With the liberation of Loíza and Taicaraya, there are four manatees that the center has released so far from 2025, and 11 since its foundation.
1 /17 | They release two manatees in Cabo Rojo. Nanichi and Download, two rescued manaties, returned to the Caribbean Sea in a commitment to the repopulation of their species. – Alejandro Granadillo
A few weeks ago, The new day witnessed the emotional Reunion of the Nanichi and Baharí, a female and a male, with the Caribbean Seain the bay of Bramadero, in Cabo Rojo.
The releases occur in a commitment to repopulate the Puerto Rican coasts of the so -called “National Mammal of Puerto Rico”, which is in danger of extinction, with an estimated population between 300 and 400 copies.
The release of females is particularly important because they are the ones that carry the effective reproduction of their species.
“A female can reproduce in her life almost 20 manatees. So Nanichi is extremely important, because it can be the one that has the key to repopulate 20 more manatees to our population ”he said, at that time, Mignucci.
The director of the center urged people to inform if they see the manatees, to verify that they are fine, since they do not touch or feed.
“They already graduated, they have to make their lives there. We do not want them to be mangening them, ”he said, emphasizing that the Nautas should not remove the transmitter they will have in their tail for six months.