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Distribution and exploitation of manatees in Sierra Leone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Randall R. Reeves,
Daphne Tuboku-Metzger and
Richard A. Kapindi
Randall R. Reeves
Affiliation:
Okapi Wildlife Associates, 27 Chandler Lane, RR 1, Box 1096, Hudson, Quebec JOP 1HO, Canada.
Daphne Tuboku-Metzger
Affiliation:
Sierra Leone Environment and Nature Conservation Association, PMB 376, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Richard A. Kapindi
Affiliation:
Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Forestry, Youyi Building, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
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Abstract

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West African manatees are believed to be declining over much of their range, including in Sierra Leone. They are nominally protected there, but they are traditionally caught and eaten because of their delicious meat and also because they are considered as pests by rice growers and fishermen. The authors' surveys in 1986–1987 showed that manatees are still widely distributed in coastal districts of the country, but that they are being regularly caught in some places, at levels that may not be sustainable. Much more needs to be known to guide appropriate action to ensure that the manatee remains a part of Sierra Leone's wildlife. It is encouraging that one of the authors has begun, under the government Fisheries Division, to implement a manatee research programme.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , April 1988, pp. 75 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1988

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