[Animals] The last mermaids of Africa

[Kyro]

 

We, the Diola, cannot be caught. To catch one you must have mystical powers, it is forbidden by tradition. Sitting by the banks of the Casamance River, the stocky Louis Diatta scrutinizes the surface of the water and talks about some strange animals that inhabit it as if they were people. “They are like us. The females have breasts and nurse their babies, they go as a family. Instead of arms and legs they have fins, but when you look into their eyes you are surprised, it is as if they were half human”, he adds. The Pointe de Saint George is one of the few places in Senegal where you can observe West African manatees, a threatened species surrounded by mysteries. That, if you're lucky, because as good animals of legend they are shy and elusive.

Although the capture, sale and consumption of the West African manatee have been formally prohibited since 2013, the truth is that there is a thriving illegal trade, mainly destined for Asian countries, of manatee meat, skin and oil, to which curative properties are attributed. . This fishing, together with pollution, dams, the disappearance of the mangrove swamp and accidental captures, corner this mermaid, of which it is estimated that there are less than 10,000 specimens left scattered throughout the coastal and estuary waters of a dozen countries. The Pointe de Saint George, an observation tower, currently awaiting restoration, stands on the beach for tourists to try to get hold of a precious image of Trichechus senegalensis. “Nearby there is a source of fresh water and the Baliali (their name in Diola) like to come and drink,” says Diatta.

The path to this spot is as magical as the manatees themselves. In barely nine kilometers you cross through the middle of huge flamboyant and baobab trees, rice fields and mangroves, stepping on the path that linked this town with the rest of the world. Here and there, naturally among the Diola people, you can see carefully placed animal bones and gourds. “It's the fetishes. This is the protector of the road”, says Kanyar, a local guide, “so it is a safe place”. If someone finds a lost object, they have the obligation to deposit it here. On one occasion, a tourist inadvertently left his valuable camera on a branch. “The next day I was next to the fetish,” Kanyar says with a smile.

https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2022-12-29/las-ultimas-sirenas-de-africa.html