MANATEES IN XEL-HA BY BILL MILLIGAN M.D

Yndiana enjoying a walk with PR representative at unique theme park Xel-Ha, prior joining the program Manatees Encounter

Xel-Ha, an all inclusive eco-archeological theme park, located approximately 70 miles south of Cancun was one of our stops on the manatee tour . This ocean inlet and lagoon was an absolute joy to visit and spend the whole day, either in the crystal clear waters, snorkeling, tubing, small cliff diving, or walking or bicycling beautifully manicured paths, through jungle, with parrots squawking above and iguanas basking below in the sun. A large open air palapa roofed restaurant served excellent Mexican and Mayan cuisine, along with an assortment of International dishes, all downed with cold Mexican beers, margaritas or other exotic drinks. Makes my mouth water, as I sit here writing this.

The manatee trainers we met at Xel-Ha were very kind, devoted, and bonded with these gentle mammals and obviously protective and loving toward them. It was a real pleasure to have met these gentle trainers and see their interaction with the manatees’. We will return to Xel-Ha, and enjoy it even more the second time, hopefully in the near future.

So, what do manatees have to teach us…Why are they pre-historic survivors? How do they fit in the ecological chain?

“Manatees are the only marine mammals that are herbivores and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and reach more than 3.60 meters, approximately 10 feet in length. They are monogamous and typically breed once every two years, with gestation lasting 12-13 months, and the weaning process taking another 12-18 months. Nursing is accomplished with mammary glands located under their armpits, after which, they leave home and lead a solitary existence. In captivity they consume lettuce heads, up to 200 per day, or approximately 10% of their weight, according to the trainers.

Dr.Bill Milligan with trainers Sergio e Hilda

Our encounter with them in Quintana Roo, Mexico was at three different locations, Xel-Ha and the Dolphin Discovery at Puerto Aventuras and Cancun (Isla Mujeres). We were able to interact with them in Cancun and Xel-Ha and speak with their trainers. Contrary to their lethargic like movements, manatees are relatively fast learners, capable of understanding discrimination tasks, having advanced long term memories, and doing task learning similar to dolphins in visual and acoustic studies.

One fascinating thing we observed at Xel-Ha, was the trainers technique of putting them in a receptive mood to interact with people. With his hands not touching the skin, he would trace backwards on the head and neck, tracing a meridian known in Chinese medicine, as Triple Burner/Warmer, involved with the fight-flight-freeze reaction. Meridians are documented energy lines that traverse humans and animals and have been used in acupuncture for five thousand years. When one traces a meridian backwards, this has the effect of calming it and its recipient, and in this instance making one more docile, at least temporarily.

This maneuver was repeatedly seen as the trainer would initiate either a training session or prepare them for human interaction. This was my first exposure seeing this technique used in the animal world.

Manatees spend half a day sleeping in water, with much of the rest, grazing at shallow depths (3-6 feet), surfacing at regular intervals for air. The adults have only a set of cheek teeth, which continually replace themselves, growing from the back towards the front, and totaling no more than six at one time. Their upper lip is large and flexible, somewhat resembling a very foreshortened trunk of an elephant and used for gathering food, eating, and social interaction and communication. Having no incisor or canine teeth and thus being unable to aggressively flash them, was perhaps nature’s way of keeping them close to shore, seeking non-threatening shallow waters and avoiding incisor (ripping or tearing) like environments. There’s probably a similar corollary with aging humans, and their ensuing dental problems.


Bill Milligan M.D and Yndiana Montes are very grateful to Fideicomiso para el Desarollo del Turimo en la Riviera Maya, as they organized their visit to Xel-Ha.