Plundering Actions against Endangered Species in Central Cuba Reported

2010.02.16 - 19:16:52 / ACN

SANTA CLARA, Cuba. - The recent report on the finding of the remains of three manatees in the area between Cayo Fragoso, and Nazábal Bay, with traces of cuts performed with sharp objects, confirm how there are still people who plunder this endangered species.

José Antonio Santos Mariño, specialist of the Enterprise for the Protection of Wildlife in the province, told ACN news agency that, despite the established regulations and the work of the inspectors, there are still people who profit from the meat this animal.

This species- categorized endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature- is protected and its capture is prohibited, because only four species of the Trochechus genus survive, in small populations, he said.

The manatees deaths occurred in the past month and a half this year, a time in the year when the sightings in that place are more frequent and numerous, the specialist said.

Among the remains, one showed signs of drowning, caused by the animal getting entangled in the nets of a dinghy which prevented it from surfacing to breathe, Eddy Garcia, project manatee protection in Lanzanillo Wildlife Refuge - Pajonal-Fragoso told ACN.

The other two were butchered and the little muscle mass that remained showed cuts made with a sharp instrument, he said.

Since 2000 to date in this area 17 deaths of these mammals have been reported, and in every case the death was man-caused because the autopsies showed that animals were healthy, he said.

“Nazábal Bay, he explained, is a preferred habitat for manatees, because they have warm water, abundant food and resting areas”