Saturday, September 6, 2025

Dead manatees now up to 20 in Tabasco, and remain a mystery

Over the last month and a half the number of manatees found dead in Tabasco has leapt from eight to 20, and authorities have yet to find an explanation for the deaths.

The director of wildlife inspection and surveillance at the federal environmental agency Profepa told a press conference yesterday that only one of the bodes was found in good enough condition to collect usable samples.

They tested positive for brucellosis and Weil’s disease but Joel González Moreno explained that those bacteria are found naturally in the environment, and it cannot be concluded that they caused the deaths of the other manatees.

Seventeen of the mammals were found in the Bitzalez lagoon system. Three more were located in Boca de Pantoja, while two were found in Paraíso and at the Grijalva II bridge in Villahermosa.

The advanced state of decomposition has hindered the search for an answer, continued González, and conclusive results are still out of reach.

Still, the Profepa representative asserted that a hydrocarbon spill has been discarded as a cause of death, suggesting instead that an illness could be behind the deaths.

Several agencies, including the National Water Commission, are collaborating and collecting samples from the dead animals and the waters in which they were found to determine the cause of death.

Sample collection has also extended to fish species and farm animals found in the Bitzales area, which are currently being analyzed at Senasica, the National Service for Agrofood Health, Safety and Quality.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Workers install scaffolding in front of a giant Mexican flag

Mexico’s week in review: Bilateral tension and cooperation on display as Mexico welcomes its new judiciary

1
Other headlines included canceled Mexican Independence celebrations in the US, a new Mexican unicorn startup and a win for jaguar conservation.
train track

Maya Train gets final approval for a new freight terminal in Cancún

0
The green light from the Environment Ministry means land-clearing can begin on the new freight teminal, which will involve removing 260 hectares of jungle.

Threat of US immigration raids forces cancellation of Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day celebration

9
The Trump administration has threatened major anti-immigrant action in Chicago, the city with the third-largest Mexican and Mexican American population in the U.S.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity