June is manatee-mating season - and today we saw a herd of male manatees following a single female along the Belize City coastline. We found them thrashing around near Bally Gardens, that's where the female had come right up to the shore - to try and escape her many suitors. That's right, this is nature at its wildest, not a romance novel - and as manatee expert Jamal Galvez explained - during the time when she is in estrous (what we would call "heat,"), life for the female marine mammal is difficult, and physically stressful. In fact, it's perilous for the whole herd following her - and that's why boaters also have to be extra cautious:..
Jamal Galvez, Sea to Shore Manatee Pgm Coordinator
"Normally the female when it get estrous "in heat" it draws a lot of males. You could find 20-30 males chasing one female at any point in time and it can go on for a week to two weeks."
Jules Vasquez
"All this splashing about and turbulence we are seeing here is not courtship, it's actually the males are trying to initiate pretty much by force coitus."
Jamal Galvez
"Correct, unlike human beings we have the privilege of who we mate or who we date. Manatees'don't get that choice, it's the dominant males, and normally the stronger males is the one that gets there. Sometimes you have more than one dominant male fighting among each other - not necessarily fighting, but trying to get closer to the female. Normally we would see this very close to shore, mainly to aid the female. In order for the males to mate the female they need to get under the female and if she is shallow water, probably lie on her stomach, it's very difficult to get underneath her. But in deeper water they can easily get underneath her and in the deeper water you have 4-5 males trying to on at the same time - kind of eventually drown the female. Like I said this can go on for a week to two weeks the males leave and go and feed and come back while the female stays here while the other males take shift."
Jules Vasquez
"She can't even eat?"
Jamal Galvez
"Not necessarily. As you can see these males aren't even allowing her to come up to breathe, so breathing is tedious as well. With the conditions they are in to have 2,3,4 - thousand pound Manatee lying on top of you - just could imagine being in the water you need to come up to get air as well is very complicated. So we are begging the boaters please be on the lookout. We would want to hear any dead Manatee coming up this week as a result of this that's why we are making it aware. Once you are traveling along the Belize river area please be on the lookout for these Manatees. They are slow moving creatures, they are difficult to get out of the way and when they are mating they tend to gazed away so a boat could come up close and the animal wouldn't even be responding from the boat's presence."
Jules Vasquez
"Boats traveling in which zones should be most aware? From where to where?"
Jamal Galvez
"Once you are traveling anywhere towards the Belize river; Haulover Creek, that area right now is avery cautious area, we are hoping that you be very cautious and be on the lookout. Put out preventive measure, a bow man on your bow to lookout to see if they see any Manatees. You can identify them from the mud footprints as you can see out here. Normally when they are mating you will see a lot of mud footprints, a lot of splashing and lots of activities. So if you can be on the lookout and see how best you can avoid it. If you can avoid the area or if you are in the area, you are ask to please travel with cautious speed."
And after all that competition, this female will only bear a single calf after a one year gestation. She won't go into heat again for another 5 years or so.
As Galvez said, this mating activity can go on for at least two weeks - so boaters need to be on the alert. Residents of the area say they've seen the herd thrashing about since Saturday.
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