African manatee  (Trichechus senegalensis)

Local hunting of African manatees for their palatable meat and their skin, bones and oil has been significant, causing population declines in certain areas (1) (2). Although illegal, hunting is still a common practice all over West Africa (4), but its impact on the species is hard to determine as hunting is carried out secretively by people in fear of prosecution (2).

A further threat to the African manatee is entanglement in fishing nets. In Guinea-Bissau, this is the most immediate threat to the manatee population. Sometimes, the accidentally caught animals are butchered, and even if the manatee escapes from the net alive, injuries from the entanglement may result in death later on (4). Not only are the African manatees threatened by entanglement, but the damage done to the nets in such situations has, in some areas (such as Sierra Leone), instigated people to hunt manatees, reducing their numbers in an attempt to lessen the chance of costly damage being done again (6). Similarly, conflict arises between manatees and humans when, during the rainy season, manatees roam into rice fields, destroying precious crops (4) (6).

The African manatee is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any trade in this species should be carefully monitored (3), and it is also protected by national laws in all countries in which it occurs (1). However, this important legal protection lacks the support of enforcement and education (1) (2), and it is thought that hunting continues at unsustainable levels (1). The African manatee may gain a degree of protection within the several protected areas it occurs in, including Basse Casamance National Park, Senegal; Digya National Park, Ghana and Iles Eotiles National Park, Côte d'Ivoire (1), but further action to reduce hunting and entanglement is critical to ensure the future of this fascinating gentle giant.