These are our friends Katherine, Sara and Eric (our chaperone scientist) walking back from one of our meals at the homestay. Sara and Katherine are PhD students studying manatees at their base in Mexico just across Corozal Bay. This trip helped establish an international collaboration for research and monitoring of manatees in this shared bay.
During our delicious meals together of beans, fried bread, and the occasional hotdog, they kept us entertained with their solid English and even better laughs. Not to mention Katherine’s extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for manatee poopoo. A unanimous highlight of boat day #2 was Katherine’s ecstatic dance moves after having scooped up a floating manatee turd (a rare find). Integral to her research, manatee poop can say a lot about the diet, metabolism, and general health of its producer. This week has set the stage for Belize and Mexico to work together in the protection of this endangered species for years to come. We are so lucky to have spent this week with them and are excited to see where this partnership takes us in the future. (Written by Julia Gatewood)