Manatee - wild spotlight

Manatees are sometimes called sea cows, and their languid pace lends merit to the comparison. However, despite their massive bulk, they are graceful swimmers in coastal waters and rivers. Powering themselves with their strong tails, manatees typically glide along at 5 miles (8 kilometers) an hour but can swim 15 miles (24 kilometers) an hour in short bursts.

Manatees are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small groups of a half dozen or fewer animals. From above the water's surface, the animal's nose and nostrils are often the only thing visible. Manatees never leave the water but, like all marine mammals, they must breathe air at the surface. A resting manatee can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes, but while swimming, it must surface every three or four minutes.

There are three species of manatee, distinguished primarily by where they live. One manatee population ranges along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. Other species inhabit the Amazon River and the west coast and rivers of Africa.

Manatees are born underwater. Mothers must help their calves to the surface so that they can take their first breath, but the infants can typically swim on their own only an hour later.
Manatee calves drink their mothers' milk, but adults are voracious grazers. They eat water grasses, weeds, and algae—and lots of them. A manatee can eat a tenth of its own massive weight in just 24 hours.

Manatees are large, slow-moving animals that frequent coastal waters and rivers. These attributes make them vulnerable to hunters seeking their hides, oil, and bones. Manatee numbers declined throughout the last century, mostly because of hunting pressure. Today, manatees are endangered. Though protected by laws, they still face threats. The gentle beasts are often accidentally hit by motorboats in ever more crowded waters, and sometimes become entangled in fishing nets.

West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two forelimbs, called flippers, with three to four nails on each flipper. Their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. The manatee's closest relatives are the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized mammal). Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and Steller's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds.

THREATS

The greatest threat to the West Indian manatee in Florida is collisions with watercraft such as boats and jet skis which happen frequently in the densely populated coastal regions and accounts for 35% of known causes of death. The disturbance caused by water activities may also be disrupting the behaviour of manatees which in turn may be detrimental to their health or survival. In addition to boat strikes, manatees can also be come trapped and crushed in water control devices such as flood control structures or caught in fishing equipment.  Loss and destruction of the warm water habitats in which the Florida manatee aggregates is also cause for concern for a species so vulnerable to cold water mortality. Declines in warm water habitats and water quality are directly linked to the increasing human population.

The threats to the Antillean manatee are the same as those faced by the Florida manatee with the additional threat of hunting, which occurs less frequently than in the past but is still considered as a significant threat in some central American countries. Pollution of coastal areas is also frequently reported and presents a threat to the quality of habitat in which the West Indian Manatee is found.

Black Rhino (Critically Endangered)

Rhinos are one of the oldest groups of mammals, virtually living fossils. They play an important role in their habitats and in countries like Namibia, rhinos are an important source of income from ecotourism. The protection of black rhinos creates large blocks of land for conservation purposes. This benefits many other species, including elephants.

The Black Rhino is one of Africa's most endangered animals and is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN meaning it is in real danger of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. Also known as the hooked lipped rhino due to its hook like upper lip, this magnificent animal is found in eastern and southern areas of Africa.

The Black rhino is usually a solitary animal, only coming together to mate, although mothers with young may occasionally come together in small groups. These animals have very poor eyesight and this has led to them gaining a reputation for being highly aggressive. This is reputation is somewhat unfair as the rhino doesn't usually attack in the same way as say a lion would. They attack more out of fear and panic, which is a state they often find themselves in due to their poor eyesight. Researchers have seen them charge at trees and even termite mounds, which highlights how easy it is to startle a black rhino into charging.

At the start of the 20th Century the black rhino was the most numerous of all the rhinos and estimates suggest they numbered several hundred thousand. However, ruthless hunting for prized rhino horn saw these numbers shrink rapidly down to an estimated 10,000 in the early 1980's. More recent reports from 2005 showed further decline, with numbers estimated to be as low as 2,500.

Rhino horn is made up of keratin, which is the same substance that makes up human hair and nails. However in China and other parts of Eastern Asia people believe it to have medicinal properties and so seek out rhino horn to use in traditional medicines. Scientists have found no evidence of these medicinal properties, but herbalists continue to use it claiming it can cure fevers and even revive people from comas.

In the Middle East Rhino horn is carved into ornate patterns for ceremonial jambiyas. During the 1970's there was a huge increase in demand for these daggers, which are traditionally worn as an accessory by all men above the age of 14. This increased demand contributed to the 96% reduction in Black rhino numbers during the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's.

 THREATS

Illegal Wildlife Trade

Black rhinos have two horns, and occasionally a third small posterior horn. The front horn is longer than the rear which makes them lucrative targets for the illegal trade in rhino horn. Between 1970 and 1992, 96 percent of Africa's remaining black rhinos were killed. A wave of poaching for rhino horn rippled through Kenya and Tanzania, continued south through Zambia's Luangwa Valley as far as the Zambezi River, and spread into Zimbabwe. Political instability and wars have greatly hampered rhino conservation work in Africa, notably in Angola, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan. This situation has exacerbated threats such as trade in rhino horn, and increased poaching due to poverty.

Today, black rhinos remain Critically Endangered because of rising demand for rhino horn, which has driven poaching to record levels. A recent increase in poaching in South Africa threatens to erase our conservation success. The increase is driven by a growing demand from some Asian consumers, particularly in Vietnam, for folk remedies containing rhino horn. A total of 333 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2010 – almost one a day.

 

Habitat Loss

Habitat changes have contributed to population declines, but this is a secondary threat compared to poaching. In southern Zimbabwe, privately owned rhino conservancies have been invaded by landless people. This reduces the amount of safe habitat for two large black rhino populations and increases the risk of poaching and snaring.