MANATEES

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking Florida residents and visitors to help keep manatees safe, especially while out on the water.

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

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.

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.

The first seven months of this year have seen a record 900-plus manatees die in Florida’s waterways.

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.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 819 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through June 25. For perspective, that is 182 more manatee deaths than the total recorded in 2020.

Four years after federal wildlife officials reclassified manatees from endangered to threatened, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called Monday for a reversal of the decision.

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.

This photo shows two of the five rehabilitated manatees that were released last week from Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five rehabilitated manatees were released last week from Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens -- the largest releases of manatees from the zoo in its history. Orphaned manatees need to be large enough before they can return to the wild, so Amelia and Irma went to the Jacksonville Zoo in February 2020 to continue their development. Ad“Releasing these animals not only marks the successful rehabilitation of five more manatees, it also frees up critical space so additional manatees can be treated at our Zoo,” said Craig Miller, curator of mammals at the Jacksonville Zoo. The manatee rescue and rehabilitation program has cared for 27 manatees and released 21 since the center opened in 2017.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While there currently isn’t a high number of manatees in Jacksonville, there will be in April as the waters warm up. The manatee population is on the rise, and wildlife officials predict there will be a healthy number this summer. In 2017, the Florida manatee was reclassified from an endangered to a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. While the population is doing well right now, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a record number of manatees were killed last year by Florida boaters. For information on the Florida manatee and conservation efforts, click here.

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.