Status and distribution of the West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus, in Colombia

Historical and recent information on the status and distribution of West In dian manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus, in Colombia was reviewed. Opportu nistic and systematic interviews were also conducted. Historical informatio n suggested that the distribution of manatees had been reduced in the Carib bean basin. Manatees can be found in the Atrato, Sind, San Jorge, Cauca, Ce sar and Magdalena rivers and the Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta marsh in the Caribbean basin, and in the Meta River in the Orinoco basin. The Magdalena riparian system provides the largest area of suitable habitat, which also has the highest frequency of captures. Most animals (81.20%) were killed fo r sale or to share meat in a subsistence base. Hunting is apparently increa sing but capture with nets still represents the species' major direct threa t. Habitat destruction occurs in all areas. International and national laws protect the species, however, funding is inadequate for effective enforcem ent of present laws. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.