Ciego de Avila, June 9 (RHC-PL)-- Environmental specialists are deepening research on the Antilles manatee in the Ana Maria Keys, a wildlife refuge in the Jardines de la Reina National Park, on the southern coast of central Cuba. 

Juan Carlos Pina, an environmental expert, said that the marine mammal inhabits the canals of the southern coast of Ciego de Avila, 430 kilometers east of Havana, and is protected because of small numbers. There are few specimens, since manatees usually have only one baby and live in places that are difficult to access. 

According to the expert, actions are being carried out to educate people in nearby Júcaro about the importance of caring for the species and constant vigilance for compliance with the regulations for its preservation. 

Researchers from the Flora and Fauna Company, together with the Center for Marine Research of the University of Havana, have developed a program to learn about the behavior of the Antillean manatee, a species very sensitive to climate change.