African Manatee - Threats

Threats

The African manatee has become a vulnerable species because its meat, oil, bones (used to make walking stick handles and "spinning-tops used in a local game called cii"), and skin can bring great wealth to poachers. In some countries, such as Nigeria and Camaroon, African manatees are sold to zoos, aquariums, and online as pets, sometimes being shipped internationally. Anyone visiting such countries would easily notice the manatee meat being sold on the streets and marketplaces, but the lack of law enforcement prevents the poachers from being punished. Residents of countries such as Mali and Chad depend on the oil of the African manatee to cure ailments such as ear infections, rheumatism, and skin conditions.

Urban and agricultural development, increased damming, and increased use of hydroelectric power in rivers in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana are more threats to the African manatee's habitat and life, and thick congestion of boats in waterways may cause them to have a deadly run-in with the vessels. However, even natural occurrences, such as droughts and tidal changes, often strand manatees in an unsuitable habitat, and some are killed accidentally by fishing trawls and nets intended for catching sharks.

Some behaviours of African manatees provoke humans' desires to hunt them. When they get tangled up in fishing nets, the animals can do damage to the nets. People in countries such as Sierra Leone feel if they kill and therefore reduce the number of African manatees, the chances of their nets requiring expensive repairs will be lessened. In addition, African manatees have been known to destroy rice crops by drifting into fields during the rainy season, which is another reason for humans to want to kill them.