MANATEES

After 18 months of rehabilitation at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, three orphaned manatees are ready to return to their native Central Florida waters.

Animal care workers helped transport a manatee back to the wild on Thursday after six months of rehabilitation at SeaWorld Orlando.

A manatee from Volusia County is getting help after being found injured in the Intercoastal Waterway.

In the wake of the worst year for manatee deaths on record, Florida wildlife officials last week found yet another potential killer of the threatened species in the Indian River Lagoon — red tide.

U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to revise the critical habitat designation for Florida manatees, which have been dying in record numbers because water pollution is killing a main food source.

Memorial Day weekend is considered by some to be the unofficial start of summer and, by no coincidence, a great time to get back in the water. Unfortunately, according to conservationists and wildlife officials, manatees have similar plans.

Some 537 manatees have died in 2022 so far, the majority of which were found in the Indian River Lagoon.

The experimental feeding designed to help starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon came to an end Friday.

March 31 is known as Manatee Appreciation Day.

SeaWorld is doubling the size of its Manatee Critical Care space.

The experimental program to feed Florida manatees starving because water pollution is destroying their natural food has topped 55 tons of lettuce, wildlife officials said Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (AP) — More than 55 tons of lettuce have been fed to starving Florida manatees as part of an experimental program to help the slow-moving marine mammals since their natural food is being destroyed by water pollution, wildlife officials said Wednesday. “That's a substantial amount,” said Ron Mezich, feeding program coordinator for the Florida wildlife commission. “We're not solving the seagrass issue in a year," said Tom Reinert of the Florida wildlife commission. Officials say most distressed manatees in Florida are reported by people who spot them and call a state hotline at 888-404-3922.

Officials have now fed more than 55 tons of lettuce to starving Florida manatees as part of an experimental program to help the animals since their natural food is being destroyed by water pollution.

More than 80 rescued Florida manatees are in rehabilitation centers across the U.S. as wildlife officials try to stem starvation deaths by the marine mammals because of poor water quality.

As bad as this year’s manatee deaths seem, for the moment, at least, last year was way worse.

The Volusia County Manatee Watch program teaches volunteers what to look for when observing manatees.

SeaWorld is ramping up its efforts to help Florida's manatees.

The unprecedented human effort to feed starving Florida manatees has so far provided the lovable marine mammals with more than 25 tons of lettuce.

Crews have their hands full trying to save manatees as the cold weather drops and food problems in the Indian River Lagoon continue.

Central Florida wildlife researchers are asking for your help keeping an eye on manatees.

The SeaWorld theme park in Orlando is opening new pools to care for Florida manatees that are dying because of starvation due to poor water quality in their normal habitat.

FWC workers provided an update on the manatee Unusual Mortality Event Wednesday.

Environmental groups say Florida’s manatees are dying at a record rate and need federal protection for their seaside habitat.

A program to feed manatees facing starvation in Florida is starting to show some positive results. Manatee feeding stations have been placed around the state, but the marine mammals were not showing much interest. READ: ‘It’s heartbreaking’: What’s being done to curb record manatee deathsOn Friday, officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife shared video of manatees using the stations to eat lettuce that was given to them. FWC teams found groups of munching manatees eating the vegetation that was provided to them for the first time on Thursday. Florida state and federal law makes it illegal for people to feed manatees on their own.

Officials said they observed manatees showing up at the temporary field response station in Cocoa Thursday, where a supplemental feeding trial is set up to give the manatees lettuce.

The Orange City Blue Spring Manatee Festival returns to Orange City this weekend, and the weather is expected to be perfect for it.

Wildlife officials in Volusia County said Friday they are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to participate in upcoming Manatee Watch events in February.

An unprecedented, experimental attempt to feed manatees facing starvation in Florida has started slowly but wildlife officials expressed optimism it will work as cold weather drives the marine mammals toward warmer waters. That brought about the lettuce feeding program, part of a joint manatee death response group led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. “We expect that to happen.”In addition to the feeding experiment, officials are working with a number of facilities to rehabilitate distressed manatees that are found alive. It's been a huge amount of work to date.”There are a minimum of 7,520 manatees in Florida waters currently, according to state statistics. That's better than feeding manatees personally, which does more harm than good because the animals will associate humans with food, according to officials.

An unprecedented, experimental attempt to feed manatees facing starvation in Florida has started slowly but wildlife officials expressed optimism it will work as cold weather drives the marine mammals toward warmer waters.

Florida reported 1,101 manatee deaths in 2021, marking the highest number of deaths in a single year.

Three conservation groups have filed formal notice of their intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency if it doesn't take steps to protect manatees from water pollution in Florida.

More than 1,050 manatees have died in Florida so far this year, a little less than double the number killed in 2020.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) (Lynne Sladky)BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Wildlife officials and Florida Power & Light Company created a temporary field response station in an effort to address the unusual manatee mortality event along Florida’s Atlantic coast. The response station will support several unusual manatee mortality event response operations already underway in the central Indian River Lagoon, such as manatee rescues, carcass recovery, and limited field health assessments, wildlife officials said. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they also approved staff to conduct a short-term feeding trial, referred to by many as supplemental feeding. READ: Brevard Zoo collecting donations to establish dedicated manatee rescue teamThe goal of the feeding trial is to reduce manatee mortality and to reduce the number of animals in need of rescue, officials said. The goal of this action is to reduce manatee mortality.

Manatees are starving and dying in record numbers in Florida, particular in the Indian River Lagoon where there is a massive loss of seagrass.

Normally giving food to wild animals is considered off limits, but the dire situation in Florida with more than 1,000 manatees dying from starvation due to manmade pollution is leading officials to consider an unprecedented feeding plan. Fish and Wildlife Service and state environmental officials intend to unveil a limited proposal this week to feed the beloved marine mammals in one specific Florida location to test how it works. The club was co-founded in 1981 by Florida troubadour Jimmy Buffet and former governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. The emerging plan would involve feeding manatees at a Florida Power & Light plant in Cape Canaveral, along the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast where manatees congregate in cold winter months because of the warm water discharge from the plant. “Under no circumstances do we want people feeding manatees.

Normally giving food to wild animals is considered off limits, but the dire situation in Florida with more than 1,000 manatees dying from starvation due to manmade pollution is leading officials to consider an unprecedented feeding plan. Fish and Wildlife Service and state environmental officials intend to unveil a limited proposal this week to feed the beloved marine mammals in one specific Florida location to test how it works. The club was co-founded in 1981 by Florida troubadour Jimmy Buffet and former governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. The emerging plan would involve feeding manatees at a Florida Power & Light plant in Cape Canaveral, along the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast where manatees congregate in cold winter months because of the warm water discharge from the plant. “Under no circumstances do we want people feeding manatees.

Dying Manatees FILE - A manatee comes up for air is it swims in the Stranahan River, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 2, 2020. More than 1,000 manatees have died in Florida so far in 2021, eclipsing a previous record as the threatened marine mammals struggle with starvation due to polluted waters. The club was co-founded in 1981 by Florida troubadour Jimmy Buffet and former governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. The emerging plan would involve feeding manatees at a Florida Power & Light plant in Cape Canaveral, along the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast where manatees congregate in cold winter months because of the warm water discharge from the plant. “Under no circumstances do we want people feeding manatees.

Dying Manatees FILE - A manatee comes up for air is it swims in the Stranahan River, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 2, 2020. More than 1,000 manatees have died in Florida so far in 2021, eclipsing a previous record as the threatened marine mammals struggle with starvation due to polluted waters. The club was co-founded in 1981 by Florida troubadour Jimmy Buffet and former governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. The emerging plan would involve feeding manatees at a Florida Power & Light plant in Cape Canaveral, along the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast where manatees congregate in cold winter months because of the warm water discharge from the plant. “Under no circumstances do we want people feeding manatees.

After a record year of manatee deaths in Florida, U.S. wildlife agencies approved experimental feeding on Monday.

Dying Manatees FILE - A manatee comes up for air is it swims in the Stranahan River, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 2, 2020. More than 1,000 manatees have died in Florida so far in 2021, eclipsing a previous record as the threatened marine mammals struggle with starvation due to polluted waters. The 1,003 manatee deaths so far in 2021 is many more than the 637 recorded last year and well above the previous mark of 830 set in 2013. "Manatees are in serious trouble," ZooTampa at Lowry Park, one of four main manatee critical care centers in Florida, said in a statement Wednesday. The wildlife commission estimates there are currently about 7,500 manatees, also known as sea cows, living in Florida waters.

The record number of manatee deaths has started impacting businesses that rely on manatee sightings.

Manatees are starving to death because algae blooms and contaminants are killing the seagrass the beloved sea mammals eat.

Nearly 960 manatees have died this year in Florida, according to the latest data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A record-shattering number of sea cows have died this year.

Wildlife officers say hundreds of manatees have died across Florida already this year and most of those deaths happened in the Indian River Lagoon.

Though it’s only July, the total number of Florida manatee deaths in 2021 has already reached a higher total than it did in all of 2020, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A record-breaking number of manatees are dying in the Indian River Lagoon in Central Florida.

Mandy and her calf Manilow were released Wednesday morning near Blue Spring.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data showed as of last week, 819 manatees have died throughout the state.

Florida is home to roughly 6,800 manatees, but more than 750 have died this year alone.

Sea cows in Florida are dying at an alarming rate.

The current manatee die-off could top 1,000 by year’s end, experts say, threatening to reverse the fragile recovery the species has made in recent decades.

More manatees have died in 2021 than all of last year and the majority of the deaths are in Central Florida.

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – Scientists say Florida’s most enamored marine mammal is starving to death, News 6 partner Florida Today reports. That includes 169 dead manatees (42%) in Brevard County. Because of COVID-19 rules, a state lab tasked with examining dead manatees has only been able to salvage and examine 30% of the remains. “This is not the usual type of animal we see.”Half of the dead manatees are adults, she said. To report a sick, injured or dead manatee, contact the FWC hotline at 888-404-3922, and press *7 to speak with an operator.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a huge spike in manatee deaths across the state while biologists and other experts are left wondering why so many of the threatened species are dying. In the first six weeks of 2021, there were 317 manatee deaths across the state, according to the FWC. That’s almost half of all deaths reported in Florida for all of last year when 638 manatees died. Boaters are urged to call FWC if they see a manatee in distress so they can come out and help. You can also donate to the Save the Manatee Club for research and find more ways to help at their website, www.savethemanatee.org.

They are as synonymous with Florida as flamingo’s Manatees or as they are sometimes called, sea cows, love the tropical weather and warm waters of Florida. Powell shares his knowledge of these gentle giants and tells us how the pandemic has likely had an adverse affect on them. By some estimates there are about 13,000 manatees on the planet with about half of those living in the southeastern U.S. While boating is good for those who are feeling cabin fever during the pandemic, it has not been good for manatees. “We had seen it in Blue Spring, we had actually seen it up in north Florida and I think even Georgia,” Powell said.

ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A manatee that a year ago was seen swimming around Blue Spring State Park with a bicycle tire cinching its waist has returned to the crystal clear waters free of the trap. Officials from Save the Manatee Club said Friday they don’t know how the manatee managed to shake the tire lose but they mentioned that Wheelie, as the manatee was called by the public, was struck by a boat’s propeller in February and that strike cut and weakened the tire. Also called Schwinn by researchers, the manatee now has deep scars around its midsection where the bike tire was once entangled. Wheelie the manatee now has scars from where a bike tire was stuck around its waist. Save the Manatee Club manatee research associate Cora Berchem first spotted Wheelie on Wednesday on an above-water livestreaming webcam.

The Save the Manatee Club, in partnership with Blue Spring State Park, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and Volusia County, is in need of volunteers to be manatee observers. The volunteer program operates from March to November at Blue Spring State Park because that is “swim season” when park visitors may come in contact with manatees. The volunteers are there to “help prevent manatee harassment and to educate visitors about proper behavior around manatees. Two mandatory training sessions are scheduled at Blue Spring State Park on March 5 and March 14 at 10 a.m. for two to three hours. To sign up, email cberchem@savethemanatee.org with your preferred training date and whether you’d like a kayak training session.

click to enlarge screengrab via Save the Manatees/YouTubeHey, Florida boaters: stop. Please just stop. Stop mowing down our plump, precious sea cow friends every time you want to go out for a cruise.Just the other day, the beloved Dix was struck and killed at Blue Springs State Park. There had only been 59 manatees deaths caused by watercraft in the same time period last year.The population numbers for manatees are improving. Manatees were recently downgraded from endangered to threatened, but we have to keep protecting Florida's favorite marine mammal if we want it to stay that way.

click to enlarge screengrab via Save the Manatees/YouTubeDix the manatee, one of the stars of Blue Spring State Park, was recently found dead in DeLand, just north of the springs.After assessing her injuries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that she died from an acute watercraft collision.Dix rose to fame by bringing three calves into the Blue Spring area, fearlessly hanging around an alligator, and being an overall friendly creature adored by visitors and locals alike.The death of this popular manatee highlights an escalating problem: More manatees than usual are getting struck and killed by boats.According to the FWC, Volusia County has the third highest watercraft-related manatee death rate in Florida, behind only Lee and Broward counties. Over 120 manatees died because of collisions in 2018, according to the FWCs manatee mortality report "The number of manatees getting hit by boats this year has really gone up. Overall, we had 300 manatees being killed this year, and out of those, 81 of those manatees were killed by boats," Cora Bercham of the Save the Manatee Club said to Spectrum News As manatee populations increase in Blue Spring and surrounding areas, watercraft-related manatee deaths also increase, according to Berchem. Summer is when manatees migrate, so they are not as concentrated in springs as they are during manatee season.

Manatees trapped in drainage pipe Rescue workers are attempting to rescue about a dozen manatees that got trapped in a drainage pipe in Florida.

Nature: Manatees in Blue Spring State Park We leave you this morning swimming with the manatees at Blue Spring State Park near Orange City, Florida.