On late Tuesday, the National Aquarium received a manatee that was stranded on Playa La Barbacoa (El Limón) on the north side of the Samaná peninsula. The manatee was critically injured, with recent and old wounds suspect to have been caused with knives or machetes.
Minister of Environment Francisco Dominguez Brito said that there is a lot of educating still to be done to promote the conservation of endangered species, such as manatees. Nevertheless, he praised the dozens of volunteers who acted to assist the manatee until it was rescued by the technicians from the National Aquarium.
On social media there are videos that show how volunteers attempted to push the 2.5-meter long mammal back to the ocean. The manatees are an endangered species. These sea cows have several protected habitats around the island.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
El Nuevo Diario
Tele Micro
8 February 2018
