Release of manatees in Guadeloupe

The manatee is an atypical marine mammal: strictly herbivorous, it is extremely dependent on its environment, for which it chooses a very specific salinity and temperature range. 

This animal is subject to numerous threats linked to natural variations in its environment as well as human activities: animals injured by boats and nets, habitat pollution, destruction of seagrass beds, etc.

As part of a conservation programme for the species, the Paris Zoological Park is concentrating its efforts on two actions:

• the reintroduction of the manatee to Guadeloupe, in the bay of Grande Anse: the Paris Zoological Park will provide local scientific support, and will accompany the Guadeloupean teams as they relearn how to live with the manatee,
• the census and monitoring of the manatee in French Guiana: the genetic and health study of the two species of manatee present in French Guiana (the West Indian manatee on the coastal front and the Amazonian manatee inland).

Thanks to your support, through the sponsorship of Tinus, the manatee, the teams at the Parc zoologique de Paris are studying manatee populations in their natural environment, identifying and combating the threats they face and helping to bring this emblematic species back to the French overseas territories.