Mexico to capture threatened manatees to save them

MEXICO CITY – After the death of 21 manatees in a river in southern Mexico, authorities have decided to capture and transport the remaining mammals to a safe enclosure.

A total of 27 manatees died in several waterways in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco between May and July. But 21 of those deaths came in the Bitzal river and the Maluco stream. Scientists are still performing tests to determine whether water contamination caused the deaths.

The manatees from the Bitzal will be transported by boat and enclosed in tanks and protected pools with fresh river water.

Mexico has a troubled history with capture-and-enclose programs.

In November, experts suspended efforts to capture the few remaining vaquita porpoises in Mexico’s Gulf of California after the one they caught died quickly in captivity..