Manatees from the Recife's Parks - The story of a century of Pernambuco's conviviality and admiration for these animals

Abstract

The use of Atillean manateesin Brazil has been registered since the county ́s colonization. The poaching of these animals is responsible for the populations ́size reduction and theirextinction in some areas, as part of the coast of Pernambucostate. In the past, communities in the citiesof Olinda and Recife used manateesas a source of food, being in this period the first main relationship between Pernambuco and manatees. The goal of this work is to reviseXica's trajectory and demonstrate the emotional link between manatees and theRecife community, linking memory, space and environment. At the beginning of the 20th century, people from Recife returned to have a strong relationship with manatees when some animals started to live in public squares and parks in the city. At this moment, society changes perception and begins to admire them at leisuretime. This cycle of captive animals and visitation lasted more than a century, beginning in 1909, when Chico arrived at “Praça da República”, and ended in 2015, when the visitation to animals onItamaracáIsland has finished. However, manatee remainsin the memory of PernambucoSociety. Xica is the most ever visitedmanatee. It hasbeen considered a “celebrity” and mascot of Recife