Starving manatees get help in 3 Florida rehab centers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than six dozen threatened manatees are in rehabilitation centers in Florida and elsewhere amid a chronic starvation problem caused by water pollution, wildlife officials said last week.
Most of the 79 manatees are being treated at three places: SeaWorld in Orlando and zoos in Tampa and Jacksonville, Teresa Calleson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said during an online news conference.
Soon, she said, SeaWorld will add space for 20 more of the marine mammals to receive care as cooler weather and lower ocean temperatures drive them to warmer waters to forage for dwindling food.
“We are now firmly into winter,” Calleson said. “I’m pretty optimistic about where we are now in terms of critical care space.”
About 20 young manatees that have been rehabilitated will be released in the wild by the end of February, she added. In 2022, 20 manatees in rehab died.
The rehab centers, including others in Texas, Ohio and Puerto Rico, are needed for manatees suffering through a widespread starvation event as pollution chokes off the seagrass they need to survive cold months. The problem reached a peak in 2021 with a record 1,100 manatee deaths. In 2022, officials say 783 deaths have been confirmed through Dec. 23 from all causes, including boat strikes.
That’s led to cautious optimism as authorities continue an experimental lettuce feeding program at a power plant on Florida’s east coast, where manatees typically gather in winter.
“I do not feel like it’s nearly the volume we were experiencing in 2020 and 2021,” Andy Garrett of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said of the number of dead and seriously ill manatees. “Why that is I am not sure.”
Manatees have not gathered at the feeding site in large numbers. Capt. Thomas Van Trees of the commission said the highest count so far is 75.
About 35,000 pounds of lettuce have been delivered to the site, Van Trees said.