Seven more manatees have died in the last week in Tabasco, bringing the total to 27 and triggering an official rescue plan.

Twenty-one have been found dead in the Bitzal River and Maluco rivers area in the municipality of Macuspana, where 30 are estimated to remain. The reason for the deaths has not been established.

Specialists from the National Association of Breeding Centers and Zoological Parks (Azcarm) and the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco (UJAT) have joined state and federal environmental officials in an effort to locate and capture the mammals, sometimes known as sea cows.

Captured specimens will be weighed and measured, and readings of their breathing and heart rate will be monitored during the transfer.

The specialists will also collect samples of nasal and anal tissue, blood and feces and, if possible, urine for analysis.

The manatees will be transported by water to the Tres Brazos Station at the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve where they will be kept in artificial pools containing river water until the cause of the deaths can be determined.

Source: El Universal (sp)