Volunteer in the Antillean manatees reintroduction project - Guadeloupe 

Volunteer at the manatee’s reintroduction center in Guadeloupe is my first project devoted to marine mammals. Aquatic wildlife always fascinated me but I never had any opportunity to explore it before my arrival in the French West Indies. The manatee’s reintroduction project been set up by the national park of Guadeloupe. The goal being to reintroduce the Antillean manatee into their native sites and to create a stable population. Manatee is not only a wonderful marine mammals species. It is also a French historic legend; the siren legend.

Antillean Manatee reintroduction project, Gualdeloupe :

Lest start with manatee story… One upon a time…

History:

The Antillean manatee (subspecies of the West Indian manatee) been found in the Guadeloupe waters until the nineties. After what they disappeared with excess poaching.
Nowadays, this subspecies is classified as endangered species and is recovery on the red list of extinction species of the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUNC).
We count less than 100 individuals, which don’t stop to decline.
The last locations been found are in the north of Guadeloupe in Porto Rico and Dominican Republic. In the south of Guadeloupe in Trinidad, Tobago and Guyana.
In fact, the decline comes from the persistent poaching even prohibited. But also, because of pollution, fishing nets and boats propellers.
Moreover, Manatee lives is shallow water, what means living close form humans activity which promotes the destruction of its habitat.
Conversely, the Florida manatee population (second subspecies of the West Indian manatee) is increasing in number despite persistent major problems such as ships, cold waters and toxins in its waters.
Great researches have been done on it and retain good species conservation and its biotope.
  
 
The manatee’s reintroduction project has been created by the Guadeloupe national park.
The main project’s goal is to reintroduce the Antillean manatee in its native site and create a stable population. Junior and Kai from the River Safari of the Singapore zoo were chosen.
This project, which is linked by many studies, will lead to species conservation and a future progeny growing.
This manatee reintroduction program is one of the most international important projects. Indeed it is the first global project reintroducing marine mammals.
It is a global model for an effective conservation of large marine mammals, which will contribute to the conservation of many, threatened and endangered other species.
The national park also contributes to the Antillean manatee maintenance throughout its network. Indeed, it allows the setting of many seminars and training courses throughout the Caribbean. Or are assisting in habitat renovation and installation.

Doctor Natalia Rozniewska, veterinarian graduate of the University of Varsovia, is the veterinarian responsible of the project.

Moreover, courses and training are planed for the staff and a lot of administrative work in seeded. All these protocols and exams are laborious and must be carried out scrupulously in order to car out this fantastic project. Competent experts provide valuable advice to been process properly.

Indeed, “Man Man D'lo” means manatee in Creole. Which is a sculpture representing a mermaid. Created by Laurent Valère, a martinican artist (other French Caribbean island). It was immersed in 2004 in Saint-Pierre’s bay at 9 meters depth. It represents homage to the sea and an invitation to its protection.

According to the legend; The magnificent voices of the sirens makes the sailors mad and keel over them ships.
Since 2015, a second sculpture by the same artist has been immersed at his side. It is called the “Yemaya”.

 "Tino le manantin", is a creole child tale created by Guerty Dambury and Edmond Mondésir. It tells the story of a manatee who dreams of the manatee’s paradise. Which were talks by his grandmother to him every night. One day he starts to look after him

"Mate and the manatee" from Alex Godard. it tells the story of a little girl who binds friendship with Yaya, a manatee living in the Guadeloupe mangrove.