Dani the Manatee—An Endangered Species
Visit Him in His Home in the Southern Mexican Yucatan Peninsula
Sep 1, 2008
Dani the manatee is a sea mammal-sometimes called a "sea cow." He lives in a water corral in Laguna Guerrero, a small fresh-water lagoon, in the south of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Dani the Manatee's home in Laguna Guerrero
His home has an open door, but he doesn’t want to leave. Yes, he’ll take a cruise around the lagoon, but there’s no place like home.
Not too bad. He has free food--25 to 30 kilos (about 44 to 66 pounds) of vegetables every day)—compliments of the state government.
A young sea cow's (manatee) story
Dani was found by a couple of boys, four days old with an injured flipper--caught in the mangrove roots. He was left an orphan, unable to leave this annual birthing lagoon with the other manatees.
The village people took him to Chetumal, the state capital, to have his wounds treated. Once treated the state wildlife department decided to return Dani to the lagoon and put him in the care of the villagers until he recuperated.
Well enough to swim, Dani was released to return to his manatee family, but he didn’t want to go.
He has a good life now that the government decided to protect and feed him.
Dani the Manatee's “family” at Laguna Guerrero
He has a human family to care for him, all the food he wants and he has a girlfriend. “She is an older ‘woman’,” Baladio, his keeper, says in Spanish, “but she is only interested in being a friend and not in his adolescent advances.”
“A fiesta was held by the village last September fifteenth to celebrate his fourth birthday,” Baladio relates, “Manatees live to be around sixty years old.” So it looks like Dani has a long and cozy life ahead of him.
This youngster is a little over six feet “tall” now, but will mature to about nine feet.
A visit with a sea mammal
With permission from Baladio, it is possible to climb down to a platform just above the brownish, somewhat murky waters of the lagoon to feed Dani.
His favorite is lettuce and he easily consumed about five heads while hundreds of tiny fish swam around him vying for the leftovers.
He will very gently take the lettuce from your hand with his large rhinoceros-like lips. Manatees don’t have front teeth, just molars in the back.
Where to see Dani the manatee
Dani’s home is in Laguna Guerrero, twenty minutes outside of Chetumal, Quintana Roo. You can see, feed and make friends with him from 9AM until 5PM, Tuesday through Sunday.
His keeper will accept donations to help with Dani’s care.
The number of manatees has dwindled over the years, but they are now protected by the Mexican government.
Next year the children in the state schools will be taught about the manatee and its value to nature.
Making friends with Dani will open one to a new understanding and respect for this other species.
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