Volunteer Opportunities

Transcription

1 Volunteer Opportunities Belize Manatee Rehabilitation Centre

2 Carers Urgently Required!! Twiglet...An Introduction Jamal Galves with Island Puppy ( Twiglet ) when first rescued (25/06/09) Linda and John Searle of Sea Sports Belize, who provided the logistical support for the rescue Twiglet has surface lacerations on her nose, flippers and tail, thought to have been caused by an encounter with sharp coral Rescued on the 25 th June, 2009, the manatee calf was initially reported as a potential orphan by Sea Sports Belize, having been spotted on her own in the shallow waters of Heusner Caye, near the reef east of Belize City. A local fishermen, Mr. Lambey, based from the caye, observed the calf for four hours, with no sign of the mother, at which point the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network, under Jamal Galves, swung into action. With the support of Sea Sport, the crew was out at Heusner Caye by 4:00pm, and after assessing the situation, quickly captured the calf and brought it back into Belize City, and, as night fell, on to Sarteneja. Given the official name of Island Puppy by Mr. Lambey (and known affectionately as Twiglet or Twiggy by the Wildtracks crew), this calf is a West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), a species that faces many threats throughout the Wider Caribbean, and is classed as 'Vulnerable' under the IUCN Redlist system. The Belize population is estimated at approximately 800, so every individual counts particularly females making the survival of this small calf a priority, with the emphasis on returning her to the wild population when she is ready for release. On arrival, Twiglet weighed in at 56lbs, with a tip of nose to tip of tail length of 1.18m, and was estimated to be between 1 and 2 weeks old. She requires 24 hour care, and is fed on Esbilac, a milk replacement formula like most young animals, she needs feeding frequently, so is on a three hour feeding rota both day and night. She is currently using two pools at the Rehab facility the smaller intensive care pool at night, and the larger recovery pool during the day. As manatee calves are very susceptible to cold, the water temperature is maintained between 28 and 32 degrees centigrade, and the pools are emptied and scrubbed down once or twice a day, depending on need. She has also just been introduced to the lagoon pool, where she has spent short, supervised periods exploring the mangroves and seagrass. We would like to express our appreciation to Save the Manatee Club for providing the milk replacement formula

3 What Does a Manatee Volunteer Carer Do? Hilmar Salazar working with Twiglet in the Recovery Pool Work is shared between volunteers, and involves all aspects of manatee care. This includes food preparation of the milk replacement formula, bottle feeding in the water, followed by clean up. Carers also spend time working with the calf, providing companionship in the water in these early developmental stage, and monitoring her behaviour. Other essential activities include emptying, cleaning, filling and maintenance of the pools to ensure a clean environment, the pools are scrubbed down once, and sometimes twice, a day, depending on how clean the water is. Katie Dyke (Wildtracks, Belize) and Twiglet introducing her to the lagoon pool The Lagoon Pool As the calf grows older, and requires less individual attention, there are also public awareness activities, increasing interest and knowledge among local stakeholders towards support for conservation of this threatened species. This includes visits to schools in the idyllic local fishing community of Sarteneja, one of the stakeholder communities of Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, established by the Government of Belize for the protection of the West Indian Manatee. Volunteers are also asked to help Wildtracks respond to calf strandings, should they occur elsewhere in Belize, whilst they are stationed with the Rehabilitation Centre. This call for volunteers is focused on covering the critical period from September 1 st, 2009 to March 31 st, Volunteers will be recruited from April onwards through Wildtracks partners Global Vision International ( Wildtracks Volunteers July, 2009

4 The Manatee Rehabilitation Centre Belize Previous temporary Manatee Rehab Facilities Inflatable Pool Manatee Rehab Facilities Screened Intensive Care Pool Manatee Rehab Facilities Screened Intensive Care Pool The Manatee Rehabilitation Centre was established in 1999 by Wildtracks, under the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the National Manatee Working Group, to care for orphaned or injured manatees found in Belizean waters. Temporary facilities were established at Wildtracks, with inflatable pools (and the associated stresses of keeping them inflated). The other major constraint was the scale of human resources required for the 24 hour intensive care of young and injured manatee calves, addressed partially through a partnership with Global Vision International. In 2007, a grant from Busch Gardens, through The Nature Conservancy, matched Wildtracks funds for support of the upgrading of the original, temporary manatee facilities to permanent purpose built facilities that significantly enhance day today and long term operation of the Centre, and the effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Programme. The associated refurbishment of the Manatee Building, with a purpose built manatee food preparation area, bathroom and overnight facilities for volunteers on night duty, focuses on streamlining manatee associated activities and making life more comfortable for the volunteer care team. The screened enclosure provides protection from biting insects, not only for the volunteers but also for the manatee, and is lit to facilitate night feeding and monitoring. Manatee Rehab Facilities Recovery Pool The upgrade of the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre was made possible through funding from Wildtracks, Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, and The Nature Conservancy

5 Past Manatee Rehabilitation Successes Woody May, 2001 In the wild manatee calves stay with their mothers for up to two years. Here at Wildtracks they are reared until they are old enough and strong enough to be released back into the wild, and considered able to reintegrate with wild manatees at their release site. Since the establishment of the temporary facilities at Wildtracks in 1999, the majority of manatee calf rescues have resulted in successful rehabilitation back to join the wild populations of the Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary (Southern Lagoon), after an average of 18 months care. Post release monitoring has been under the Wildlife Trust manatee tracking programme. Woody (Rescued in 1999 Released in 2001) Tiny on arrival at the Rehabilitation Centre (September, 2003) Woody was an abandoned calf, rescued in the canal system of Buttonwood Bay, Belize City. He was a learning experience, and taught us much about rearing and rehabilitating manatees. He was released Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary (Southern Lagoon) where he has lived for the past nine years, integrated into the wild population. Tiny (Rescued in 2003 Released in April, 2005) Tiny was discovered in stormy weather, bobbing in the water under the Hugh Parkey dock, in an area of high boat activity in front of Belize City. She was estimated to be about two weeks old, and had been apart from her mother for a significant period of time, as she was extremely thin. She made a full recovery before her release in 2005, at 350lbs. Buttons and Tiny February, 2005 Buttons (Rescued in 2004 Released in April, 2005) Buttons was another manatee found in the Buttonwood Bay area. She was estimated to be about 7 months old, with open wounds from an outboard impact. She had been abandoned by her mother, and was not only injured but also very thin. She made a full recovery before her release in Tiny being prepared for release at Gales Point, April, 2005 Sadly, it isn t possible to save all manatees that come into rehabilitation Two calves with life threatening injuries from suspected boat collisions died within days of being rescued, despite the intensive care provided reinforcing the need to broaden the Rehabilitation Centre's outputs towards reducing such anthropogenic impacts in key areas.

6 Wildtracks Wildtracks was registered as a Belize non profit conservation organization in 1996, and has been working since then in four programme areas: Wildtracks Conservation Programme Wildtracks Research Programme Wildtracks Sustainable Development Programme Wildtracks Outreach Programme Development of a baseline for the National Amphibian Species Conservation Action Plan Wildtracks Conservation Programme Agalychnis moreletii a Critically Endangered species targeted under the Wildtracks Conservation Programme The Manatee Rehabilitation Centre falls under the Wildtracks Conservation Programme, which has as its objective the long term protection of biodiversity of Belize. The Centre is managed in partnership with the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network, overseen by the National Manatee Working Group. Wildtracks funds the majority of its activities through its consultancy wing, focused on projects that fall within the overall mission and objectives of the organization. Where necessary, however, Wildtracks also seeks grants to fund specific projects. Wildtracks Consultancy Programme provides a sustainability mechanism through paid consultancies such as the development of conservation management and action plans Working to increase awareness in local schools Wildtracks Outreach Programme Working with local fishermen towards alternative livelihoods and conservation of local resources Wildtracks Sustainable Development Programme

7 Location Sarteneja seafront, overlooking Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Wildtracks, and the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre, are located in the north east corner of Belize (Central America), approximately two miles south of Sarteneja, an idyllic lobster fishing village situated on the shore of Corozal Bay. Chetumal MEXICO Sarteneja Corozal Bay Accommodation is in shared thatched cabanas BELIZE Meals are a social occasion, and take pace in the main house Accommodation is basic, with shared thatched, screened cabanas (sorry no air conditioning or fans!), with adjoining bathrooms. However, there is generally a breeze coming off the lagoon, keeping temperatures lower than further inland. Food preparation and consumption are both social occasions, with everyone contributing towards cooking and washing up. Both vegetarians and nonvegetarians are welcome. Below: Sunrise overlooking Shipstern Lagoon, from the Manatee Rehabilitation facilities

8 Contact Details: Paul and Zoe Walker Post: c/o Wildtracks P.O. Box 278 Belize City Belize E mail: office@wildtracksbelize.org Telephone: House: (00 501) Mobile: (00 501) To Reach Sarteneja: By Boat Water taxi from Corozal and San Pedro By Bus: The Sarteneja buses leave each afternoon (apart from Sunday) from beside the Courthouse in Belize City. There is also a bus that leaves Chetumal (Mexico) at mid day and travels direct to Sarteneja By Air: Tropic Air has two flights a day on the San Pedro / Corozal run that will stop at the Sarteneja airstrip on request. Essential Information What do I need to bring? On top of the usual travel gear for the tropics, we suggest that you ensure you have two sets of wet clothes for working in the pools these can be as simple as old shorts and t shirts (you will never be able to get the smell of manatee out of them afterwards!) or, if you have one, a wetsuit. A dedicated towel for use in the manatee building shower would also be a good idea. You will also need a torch/flashlight for walking around at night, and whilst the cabanas are screened, you may feel more comfortable with a mosquito net. The closest village, Sarteneja, has basic supplies (batteries, insect repellent, shampoo etc), but doesn t extend as far as sunscreen lotion. If you can t afford to be without your laptop, there is wireless internet, though as the house is on solar power, access time is limited to daylight hours. Unfortunately, the general use laptop has just crashed, and may not be back up and running for the near future. Drinking water is filtered rainwater, and is available in the house, whilst washing water in both the house and the cabanas comes from a nearby well. Bottled drinking water is available from the village shops. Please ensure you have adequate travel insurance! Arrival Details Where possible, for those flying in from abroad, we will try to ensure that we are able to meet you at the airport. If, however, you are unable to arrive on the pre set arrival date, we will need to ask you to make your own way to Sarteneja, and will meet you in the village. However you arrive, once you reach Sarteneja, we can pick you up from the seafront Telephone: (00 501)