The aquatic mammals of the Order Sirenia are divided into two families:
Trichechidae, represented by the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), the
marine manatee (T. manatus) and the African manatee (T. senegalensis), and
Dugongidae , with only one representative, the dugong (Dugong dugon). The
main threat to these species is the stranding of calves in the Brazilian beaches or
their capture. The various factors that lead the baby to lose their mother, both
marine manatee and Amazonian manatee, forced the institutions active in the
rescue and rehabilitation of these animals, to develop techniques for the parental
care of these animals in captivity that most resemble the mother's natural care.
So far, there is no record of an ideal substitute formulation, but there are already
studies using different milk formulas and good nutritional results. The description
of the nutritional composition of the milk of captive marine manatees contains
17.40% of lipids, 5.25% of proteins, 125.00 mg of calcium and 105.00 mg of
phosphorus. For the Amazonian manatees, variations of 8.76 and 19.73% in fat,
4.24 - 10.47% crude protein and 68.55 - 82.1% in moisture content are
described. The main efficency assessment of the milk formula is based on the
relation of the daily or weekly weight gain. Most of the dairy formulations
described use vegetable or animal milk without lactose with the addition of some
source of fat (oil or unsalted butter). Previous studies also report the importance
of inserting a vitamin-mineral complex to the milk formula. Some of the
formulations described have promising results in relation to the animal's weight
gain and are used daily in aquatic mammal rehabilitation centers in Brazil.
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