Dear MARMAM,
My co-authors and I are very happy to share the Open Access publication
of our paper "First Satellite Tracking of the African Manatee (Trichechus
senegalensis) and Movement Patterns in the Senegal River" in Aquatic Mammals
(Volume 47 - Issue 1
(aquaticmammalsjournal.org<https://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=199&Itemid=157>).
Abstract:
The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is found in 21 countries, but
very little is known about its movement patterns and habitat use. A unique
opportunity to study the species occurred in January 2009, when five manatees
were rescued from behind a new dam in a seasonal tributary of the Senegal River
in eastern Senegal, and released back into the main river. Three adults were
satellite tagged (two males, one female), and during tracking periods that
lasted between 86-325 days, they used over 308 km of the river. Both male
manatees spent significant portions of their tracking periods (30% and 90%) in
the same section of the river, where abundant aquatic vegetation is found. The
female manatee spent 74% of her tracking period making three long distance
round trips from the Matam release area south to the region of Bakel, and each
one-way trip was over 100 km. During the following rainy season, the female
moved back to the Senegal River floodplain in the same region where she had
been rescued the previous year. As a result of the rescue of the trapped
manatees, the grates at the Navel dam were removed in October 2009, and no
other manatees have become entrapped since. This study is a first step in
understanding manatee behavior and habitat use in the Senegal River.
The paper is available at (1) (PDF) First Satellite Tracking of the African
Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Movement Patterns in the Senegal River
(researchgate.net)<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348445071_First_Satellite_Tracking_of_the_African_Manatee_Trichechus_senegalensis_and_Movement_Patterns_in_the_Senegal_River>
Cheers, Lucy
Lucy Keith-Diagne, PhD
Executive Director
African Aquatic Conservation Fund
1(508) 388-9824 Global business phone
https://africanaquaticconservation.org/
Facebook AfricanAquaticConsFund<https://www.facebook.comAfricanAquaticConsFund>
Twitter @AfricanAquatic<https://twitter.com/AfricanAquatic>
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