Save and reintroduce manatees in Guadeloupe

Hi! My name is Natalia Rozniewska. I'm a wildlife veterinarian and director of the non-profit association "Capture and Release: Capture Images, Release Species". I am fundraising for our next mission related to manatees reintroduction in the Caribbean island - in Guadeloupe.

The video below will tell you about our project.

Manatees, also known as "sea cows”, are loved for their peaceful and curious character.

These slow marine mammals live in coastal waters where they can feed on seagrass. However, the proximity to human populations has brought many risks to the survival of manatees. Boat collisions, pollution, and habitat degradation are making manatee populations become smaller and fragmented.

In Guadeloupe, French island in the Lesser Antilles, manatees went extinct a century ago. In the past, they were hunted for food. Today, hectares of seagrass beds and Guadeloupe’s mangrove forests are missing a large herbivore like a manatee, who is key to healthy coastal ecosystems.

But the hope is not yet gone. The well-preserved habitat in Guadeloupe was the subject of 10 years of studies by an international group of expert scientists. The feasibility analysis showed that manatees reintroduction in Guadeloupe is possible.

If successful, it will be the first marine mammal reintroduction to the habitat from where it went extinct. It can become a conservation model for other species around the world. It can help save manatees’ populations in the wider Caribbean region thanks to the support for research and rehabilitation facilities that this project will bring. It can re-establish the balance in the marine ecosystem in Guadeloupe and aid sustainable development on this island.

Thanks to the international cooperation, in 2016, the first two manatees were brought to Guadeloupe. The objective was to create a foundation population of 15 manatees under human care. They would gradually adapt to natural diet and new environment until being finally released to start a new life as wild and free manatees.

Being a pioneer, however, is not an easy task and it involves a process of constant learning and adapting. Unfortunately, the difficulties met by the project and the unstable political support it received have resulted in the project being abandoned.

As a non-profit association Capture and Release, we believe we can make a positive change. We are aware of the ecological potential that this reintroduction project represents in the world of increasing biodiversity and climate crisis. And we want to give it a second chance.

We are producing a documentary film “Manman-dlo”, which means “manatee” in Creole, the local language in Guadeloupe. Our aim: raise awareness in Guadeloupe and build social, political, economic and strategic foundations to allow for re-start and long-term success of manatee reintroduction project.

Do you want to join us in making a difference?

Take an action and become a coproducer of the documentary film! By donating to our project, you will help save manatees in the Caribbean. You will raise awareness about manatees conservation and bring attention and support to the world-first project of marine mammal reintroduction.

This crowdfunding will help to cover the costs of 16 days of filming in Guadeloupe and organizing a public debate during 16th edition of the documentary film festival in Guadeloupe "Terra Festival". Our staff is unpaid and 100% of their time during this mission is their voluntary contribution to the project.

All donations big and small will help make an impact.

To thank you for your support, every person who donates 10 euros or more will receive free access to watch the documentary film "Manman-dlo"!*

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause which means so much to us!

*the film release is planned for 2024. We will then send you a private link to watch the film, so please provide us your email address by sending us a message to natalia.rozniewska [@] gmail.com We promise we will not send any spam emails.

To learn more, visit our website and social media.

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