68 T H E TRADE A N D TRANSPORT OF A N I M A L S

Transport of manatees Trichechus m. manatus

D. DEKKER Biologist, Nutura Artir Mugistru, Amsterdam, Nrtherlunds

The new Hippo House at Amsterdam Zoo, completed in 1966, contains a pool for manatees Tricherhus spp. As these species are not easily obtained through a dealer, we requested help from the Surinam government and through their offices four specimens of Trichechus m. manutus were caught in September 1966 and made ready for transport in Paramaribo.

Three of these (two ~d and one 9 ) originated from the Nanni River basin in western Surinam, caught in my presence by a group of East Indian fishermen and held temporarily in New Nickerie in a canal measuring 150 x 10 m, with a maxi- mum depth of 1.5 m. The &? were about 2.5 to 3 m long and the 1.8 in long. The fourth animal, a d about 1-25 m long, was caught in the vicinity of Georgetown.

Air transport was given serious consideration but rejected in favour of a sea voyage. At that time there was no direct air freight link between Surinam and the Netherlands. Moreover, transporting this species ‘dry’ had never been tried before, whereas at sea ‘wet’ transport was possible. With this in mind, it was decided to ship the manatees on board the S.S. Archimedes of the Royal Dutch Steamship Company.

The ship’s carpenter constructed four wooden troughs: two measured 3 x 1.5 x 1.5 m and the other two 2 x 1.5 x 1.5 m. The water level in all four troughs was 0.8 m. The inside of the troughs was lined with waterproof canvas while a plug in the bottom allowed complete cleaning each day. To prevent the animals being thrown against the sides, each trough contained a canvas hammock which could be raised in case of storm. The temperature of the water and ambient air was most important, particularly when passing through the Azores; a minimum of ZO‘C was necessary.

The troughs were connected to the ship’s hot water pipes and the ambient air tcmperature was maintained by means of hot air ventilators. Canvas was available to cover the troughs if necessary. To ensure sufficient water for daily

cleaning and replacement, an additional 150 m3 of fresh water was stored on board. For the estimated 15 kg of food that each animal would require daily, the ship carried a stock of dried grass, bananas and a leguminous plant known locally as kouseband. The fresh food was refrigerated at a temperature of IZ’C.

The two troughs containing the and smallest d were placed on the poop deck, while the two large troughs were on deck amidships. The animals lay along the length of the ship. On 4 October we sailed from Paramaribo. For the first eight days there were no problems, with calm seas and temperatures that required no adjustment. The day after passing the Azores, however, a heavy storm sprang up lasting 36 hours. The temperature immediately dropped IS’C. To prevent the other cargo shifting, the ship was forced to change direction and turn straight into the waves. This meant a significant and - for the animals - fatal delay of two days. Not only did the two manatees on the poop deck suffer because of the ship’s pitch, but the two larger animals also were continuously tossed about in their hammocks and badly grazed. We had to lower the water level in the troughs to 20 cm to keep the animals firmly at the bottom. They seemed not to be distressed. Because of the heavy pitch of the ship, the water washed regularly over their backs, and it was possible to keep the water at the requisite ~o’c. The animals remained strikingly quiet under these extreme conditions and scarcely moved at all. On 14 October the storm cleared and the ship resumed its original direction.

The next morning we found the two smaller animals on the poop deck dead, without any external injuries. The bodies were Gozen and taken to Amsterdam where a post-mortem examination revealed only a quantity of saliva in the bronchial tubes. The remaining two survived, despite a number of badly inflamed grazes. We arrived at Rotterdam on the morning

T H E T R A D E A N D TRANSPORT O P A N I M A L S 69

of 18 October and transported the animals to Amsterdam Zoo in a heated van.

CONCLUSION

In the northern hemisphere it is rather risky to transport this cold-sensitive species by ship outsidc the months ofJune, July and August. Ifthe method is attempted, it is absolutely necessary to tie up the animals in hanimocks in order to prevent

their being tossed about in bad weather. It is however preferable to transport manatees by air. Our experience has shown that they can safely remain out of water for some hours provided their skin is kept wet. Heat apoplexy was not noticed, but a too sudden cooling must be avoided.

Manuscript received 18 Jime 1973

The capture and transport of African animals

J. A. VAGNER Director, Zoolqqical Garden, 544 or D v u r Krdove , Czechoslovakia

Our intention at Dvur Kralove Zoo is to main- tain and breed rare species in groups or herds under optimum conditions. We hope to acclima- tise exotic animals to captive conditions, breed them successfully and gcnerally make the fullest scientific use of them alive and dead.

An integral part of this project is to obtain animals by organising our own catching expedi- tions rather than passing through a dealer, so as to choose only the healthiest animals of the right age and sex. We are thus able both to plan the transport ourselves and to provide skilled staff, factors which help to minimise losses.

CHOICE OF CAPTURE AREAS

Animals mentioned in Tables I, z and 3 were captured in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mozambique, South and South- West Africa. In the Uganda expeditions of 1967-70 we organised capture and transport ourselves, while in the other countries we co- operated with local professional hunting corpora- tions specialising in animal capture.

The choice of the most suitable capture areas was made after field investigations and discussions with the relevant game departments and state veterinary offices. In making our choice we took into consideration: I. General prevailing health conditions and the possibility in particular of epidemics. 2. Number of animals, type of habitat and the labour readily available.

P

3 . Sources of food, water, building materials and supplies. 4. Distances to the nearest railway or main roads.

C A P T U R E M E T H O D S

Captures were made in several ways: I . By lassoing from a Land-Rover. 2. By herding into enclosures from helicopter, plane or by local beaters. 3 . By tranquilliser dart gun. 4. By combining any of the above three techniques.

In open country animals were usually lassoed from jeeps while herding was more effective in dense bush or forest. Once the animals had been herded into the enclosures, tranquillising drugs were administered as quickly as possible. Particularly nervous species like Roan antelope Hippotragus equinus, Lesser kudu Tragelaphus imberbis and hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus were tranquillised for a few days until they had settled down. Various drugs were used: a long-acting drug - Chlorprotixen, or Fentanyl mixed with Azaperon, M gg, Acetylpromazin or Chlorpro- mazin.

CHOICE O F ANIMALS

Not every animal we captured was suitable for transport to Europe. Each specimen had first to pass by stages through a strict selection procedure. Young or strong individuals, without flaws or