Manatees are not native animals from Mexico nor do they live comfortably in city waters; However, in 1974 there were some specimens swimming in no less than Lake Xochimilco. Yes, in that crowded space by tourists and local, the manatees swam seeking to eliminate an ecological problem that only they could solve.
It was a season in which human intervention had wreaked havoc on the lake and Several manatees arrivedbut, unfortunately, none of them survived the experiment and perished before returning home.
The manatees were taken to Xochimilco to combat a plague of lilies.Maegan Luckiesh / Unspash.
Why did they lead to Xochimilco?
The problems of Lake Xochimilco have always been present, among them, unfortunately, there are plant pests, such as lilies, which were a problem for a long time. At the end of the 19th century a plague of lilies broke out although it is not known exactly how it arrived; The truth is that it was because of human intervention in Xochimilco. The theory indicates that the government in turn sought to create a much more beautiful and aesthetic view of the Lake Xochimilco, so they introduced lilies to give flowers; However, when the plan did not be correctly, they became the worst nightmare for the rest of the flora and fauna of the place.
Thus, over the years, already in the seventies of the twentieth century, the plague was uncontrollable causing a serious ecological problem preventing life in the Chinampas and until the passage of the trajineras through the waters. Therefore, given the concern of the government of Mariano Velasco Mujica, delegate of Xochimilco, he raised Carry four manatees to eat the lilies and prevent them from continuing to reproduce. These were brought from the Grijalva River and there are some sources that say there were not four, but 28 copies.