A pair of endangered Caribbean manatees (a subspecies of the West Indian manatee) have found a new home at the Guadalajara Zoo.
Lorenzillo, an eight-year-old male, and Claudia, a six-year-old female, can be viewed in a specially built installation at the zoo, known as the “Puerto Manatí,” that allows the public to observe the aquatic creatures as they swim underwater.
The manatees were flown in from the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
West Indian manatees were put on the U.S. endangered list in March 1967 when there were only several hundred left. This protection was lifted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017, although their existence is still regarded as “threatened.”
Despite the efforts to protect this species from natural and human-induced threats, wildlife conservation organizations say they remain in serious danger of extinction due to pollution, destruction of habitat, collisions with boats, entanglement in fishing nets and poaching.