CRYSTAL RIVER, FL (352today.com) – Three Sisters Springs is in peak season for manatee watchers who visit for some of the best viewing of the gentle giants in the warm waters.
For some of the lucky people there this week, they got to witness the creatures up close and personal.
On Thursday, Feb. 15, representatives from the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) returned five rehabilitated manatees to their natural habitat and also rescued others needing attention. The MRP is made up of specialists from Walt Disney World, Seaworld, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
“We had no idea this was going on,” said Dee Thoms who was visiting from Nebraska. “We took a little boat tour earlier this morning. They said they would be releasing manatees. But we didn’t know when.”
When the boat tour was done, Thoms found the release underway at the back of the springs. “It’s amazing. It’s amazing,” said Thoms. “This has been on my list for years!”
Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release
Specialized trucks carrying the returning manatees from rehabilitation are backed in near the launching area. Staff members from the partner agencies band together to carefully lower each manatee to a cushioned pad. Just like a human patient, the manatees get one last exam before they are released into the waters.
Wildlife biologists take measurements for size and use an ultrasound to monitor heart and lungs. All the data is carefully recorded. Some manatees are fitted with a beacon so the FWC can track their progress adapting back into the natural environment.
“Today we are releasing manatees that have been at facilities for two or three years,” said Andy Garrett, FWC manatee rescue coordinator. “They were rescued as orphan calves. So, either they were a day old to a couple weeks old and today is their release day.”
It takes nearly a dozen able bodied individuals acting like a human conveyer belt to carefully transition the manatees from terra firma to the crystal blue waters. According to the FWC, adult manatees are typically 9-10 feet long and weigh about a thousand pounds.
According to the MRP website, “Florida manatees face many threats including watercraft strikes, cold stress, red tide, entanglement, entrapment, and habitat loss.” The partners work together to rescue, rehabilitate, release, and monitor sick and injured manatees.
Garrett said this was a busy day because they were not only releasing rehabilitated manatees but also looking for any they could take back that are in need of treatment.
“We are in the middle of winter. We are trying to reset these animals that didn’t really get a chance to learn from their moms,” explained Garrett. “We are putting them in the warm water, tagging them so they can learn from the other animals. At the same time, we are keeping an eye on a little calf that was in the same situation as some of these guys. So, it will be the same process. It will be a couple of years in rehabilitation and be released back here with a tag.”
Visitors to Three Sisters Springs like Thoms got an unexpected surprise to witness this act of kindness towards Florida’s beloved manatees. It will be a memory she and others won’t soon forget.
You can always help. If you see a sick, injured or orphaned manatee or one that is being harassed, you are encouraged to call FWC’s Wildlife Alert hotline a 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922) or dial *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone.