Ciego de Avila, Cuba Jun 8.- Environmental specialists are deepening the researches today on the Antilles manatee in the Ana Maria Keys, a wildlife refuge in the Jardines de la Reina National Park, on the southern coast of central Cuba.
Juan Carlos Pina, an environmental expert in the area, stressed that the marine mammal inhabits the canals of the southern coast of Ciego de Avila, 430 kilometers east of Havana, and because of the small number of animals it is under protection.
Samples made confirm few specimens, since manatees usually have only one baby and live in places of difficult access.
He pointed out that the area carries out actions to educate the population of Júcaro, the community closest to the place, about the importance of caring the species and constant vigilance for compliance with the regulations for its preservation.
Researchers from the Flora and Fauna Company, together with the Center for Marine Research of the University of Havana, develop a program to learn about the behavior of the Antillean manatee, a species very sensitive to climate change.