505 - SB2 - Research 01

I want to get research from a variety of sources for this brief, there is a lot of information out there and it nice to be able to gain insight through documentaries and books as well as just the internet.

The first documentary I tried was Last Chance to See in which Stephen Fry travels with a photographer and animal enthusiast to try and catch a glimpse of animals very close to extinction, I watched the first episode for about 20 minutes and learnt some facts about the Amazonian Manatee -

• manatee's move very slowly, can't get away from hunters 
• boto dolphin share the river and they are 8 feet long go pink when excited and move fast 
• madeira tributary of amazon, 10,000 manatees in space of x2 australia - used to be home to herds of manatees but now few and far between

However after learning the main reason why they are becoming extinct I believed it would be a waste of time to continue watching. I decided to look for information about Manatees elsewhere and find out if they can be saved. Facts from the WWF website:

• The murky waters often make it hard to see the manatee and therefore accurate population numbers are unknown
• They are believed to be in decline due to hunting and habitat loss.
• Amazon manatees are exclusively vegetarian (herbivores), feeding on water lettuce and hyacinth. In the course of a day, they may eat up to 8% of their body weight. They feed mostly during the wet season, when there is plenty of new vegetation, storing the food in their fat reserves.
• When the dry season returns, manatees return to the main rivers, where they congregate. During this fasting period, they rely on their stored fat reserves until food becomes available again.
• They live in groups of 4 to 8 individuals and are also found alone. Gestation takes approximately 13 months, after which a single calf is born. In captivity, manatees have lived more than 12 years.
• The Amazon manatee once had a range throughout the Amazon River Basin – but because of persistent hunting for its meat and oil, it has become a rare sight.
• Various human activities threaten manatee populations. Fishing nets and lines can cause injuries to manatees that can lead to serious infections. Some manatee deaths are the result of collisions with boats. Additionally, coastal development can affect manatee habitats, both positively and negatively. Manatees tend to gather in the warm water outflows of power plants and springs during cold weather.

Manatee meat

The meat was a delicacy because it was the only source of meat on the island at a time when fish was eaten three times a day. 

"It was a special expedition to get meat for the family and for the village. You were almost a hero when you announced that you had caught a manatee and had processed over 500 pounds of meat for the village." - https://ambergriscaye.com/25years/huntingformanatees.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/lacoste-crocodile-endangered-species-logo-conservation-campaign-replace-polo-shirts-a8236426.html