Dear MARMAM,

      My co-authors and I are very happy to share the Open Access publication of our paper "First Satellite Tracking of the African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Movement Patterns in the Senegal River" in Aquatic Mammals (Volume 47 - Issue 1 (aquaticmammalsjournal.org).

Abstract: 

The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is found in 21 countries, but very little is known about its movement patterns and habitat use. A unique opportunity to study the species occurred in January 2009, when five manatees were rescued from behind a new dam in a seasonal tributary of the Senegal River in eastern Senegal, and released back into the main river. Three adults were satellite tagged (two males, one female), and during tracking periods that lasted between 86-325 days, they used over 308 km of the river. Both male manatees spent significant portions of their tracking periods (30% and 90%) in the same section of the river, where abundant aquatic vegetation is found. The female manatee spent 74% of her tracking period making three long distance round trips from the Matam release area south to the region of Bakel, and each one-way trip was over 100 km. During the following rainy season, the female moved back to the Senegal River floodplain in the same region where she had been rescued the previous year. As a result of the rescue of the trapped manatees, the grates at the Navel dam were removed in October 2009, and no other manatees have become entrapped since. This study is a first step in understanding manatee behavior and habitat use in the Senegal River. 

The paper is available at (1) (PDF) First Satellite Tracking of the African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Movement Patterns in the Senegal River (researchgate.net)

Cheers, Lucy