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Article: BRAZILIAN MANATEE COULD VANISH HABITAT LOSS THREATENING WORLD'S ONLY FRESH-WATER MANATEE THAT AMAZONIAN RESIDENTS KNOW AS OX-FISH.(News/National/International)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- June 9, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Peter Muello Associated Press
MANAUS, Brazil -- Overhunting and destruction of habitat are threatening to wipe out the world's only fresh-water manatee.
Some scientists fear it could go the way of the Steller sea cow, which was hunted to extinction just 30 years after its discovery in 1741.
``This species doesn't exist outside the Amazon,'' said Dr. Vera da Silva, head of the Aquatic Mammals Laboratory at the National Institute of Amazon Research. ``If it becomes extinct here, it will be gone for good.''
The institute in this Amazon jungle city, 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, hopes its research will improve chances ...