Rescuers Save Cold-Stressed Manatee From St. Pete Waters: FWC

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Rescuers pulled a distressed juvenile manatee from Bayboro Harbor in St. Petersburg on Thursday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

FWC staff received a call from a citizen about the manatee and responded to the harbor, the agency said.

A marine biology student at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, which has its St. Pete campus on the harbor, noticed the ailing manatee and reported it to officials, Fox 13 reported.

From her studies at USF, Kierstyn Benjamin told the news outlet that she noticed unusual behavior by the small mammal, which was swimming alone, and called the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline.

Once rescued from the harbor, the manatee was brought to ZooTampa for rehabilitation, FWC said.

Manatees typically live in warm water habitats and can’t tolerate cold water below 68 degrees, according to the agency’s website. As temperatures drop, they migrate to warmer waters during colder months, including warm water springs and waters artificially warmed by power plants or energy center outfalls.

The Florida manatee is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the Marine Mammal Commission.

Since 2020, the state has seen a high number of manatee deaths and rescues, largely because of environmental conditions in their natural habitats, FWC said. The agency continues to investigate these mortalities while focusing on habitat restoration and supplemental feeding trials.

In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $30 million from the state budget will be used to enhance manatee rescue and rehabilitation in Florida.

About 800 manatees died in the state in 2022, according to data from the FWC. A dozen of these deaths are attributed to cold stress.

So far in 2023, 45 manatee deaths have been reported in Florida — 12 of them because of cold stress — data shows.

Another 10 manatees have been rescued in the state so far this year, including two in Crystal River, one in Daytona Beach, one in Sarasota, one in Port St. John, one in Jacksonville, one in Perry, one in Clearwater and one in DeSoto, FWC said.

Anyone who sees a sick, injured or dead manatee is asked to call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.