Not the way you would want to have a sighting or a report of this gentle creatures, though, it is unfortunate that boat collisions with this animals continue to be the primary cause of their death, especially within rivers.
Yesterday Monday, Feb. 5th around 1pm, SACD and Wildtracks responded to a report made by Henry Brown through the Belize Mammal Stranding Network of a death manatee carcass in the Rio Hondo River. This is the first report within and around Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for this year and for quite some time. CBWS is not commonly faced with this situation but is also not an exception.
The preliminary assessment determined that the manatee was an adult female measuring 340 cm and with what appeared to be signs of a boat collision. The signs were a dislodge rib and lesions observe on the back of the head and the shoulder – leading the team to believe that the cause of death was due to boat coalition.