“I have had some pretty amazing experiences living in Belize for a month at Wildtracks. Bottle feeding the younger manatees was definitely a highlight of my days. To be able to get in the water with these endangered animals and actually feel that I am aiding in their recovery was an amazing feeling. Four times a day, each day, we would make a certain formula for each of the manatees and then get into the water with them to bottle feed. The feeling of a manatee coming up to you and resting it’s front flippers on your leg to help leverage the bottle into it’s mouth was truly incredible.
Bottle feeding wasn’t always the easiest as they are wild animals and have many moods and temperaments. It was not rare for one of the manatees to decide they didn’t want to be fed at a feed, which meant it was time to be very patient because the wait and persuasion to finish the bottle of formula could be quite the ordeal. It was amazing to learn each of the personalities of these animals and begin to realize how to handle each of them when it came to the feeds. The close and personal connection you create with these animals is something I will never forget and has motivated me even more to want to help and rehabilitate animals in need.”
