Adopt-A-Manatee®

Zewie was first documented in 1987 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sirenia Project as a dependent calf in Crystal River, Florida. From 1987 through 2009, Zewie was only sighted in Crystal River, but in June 2009, he was spotted with two other manatees in Alabama’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta. On August 11, 2010, Zewie became the fourth manatee captured and tagged in Alabama waters by Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network (DISL/MSN). He weighed in at 1,365 pounds and was 10 feet long. His distinguishing feature was a star-shaped scar in the middle of his tail. Gregarious and inquisitive, Zewie was usually observed in the company of other manatees and was repeatedly observed in Chacaloochee Bay in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and in the Fish and Dog Rivers of Mobile Bay.

In the winter of 2010, Zewie migrated back to Florida, and he returned to Alabama in the spring of 2011. He made the 400-mile trip in one month and was sighted in the Dog River in April. The Dog River is a known manatee hotspot in Alabama and the place where Zewie was first tagged. In summer 2011, Zewie surprised researchers by traveling even further west than before. His summer 2011 forays were centered around Mobile Bay, the Pascagoula River, Mississippi, and Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Zewie remained in Lake Pontchartrain through August 2011, and he was tracked by MSN personnel until he lost his tag when Tropical Storm Lee moved through the northern Gulf of Mexico in September. Zewie was tagged for a second time by the USGS Sirenia Project in the winter of 2013 in Crystal River, Florida. Zewie spent the summers of 2014 and 2015 back in Alabama and Mississippi waters.

Sadly, Zewie passed away due to apparent watercraft injuries on August 21, 2015, near Mobile Bay, Alabama. We honor Zewie’s legacy through our continued advocacy for stronger protective measures in all waterways where manatees are found. A portion of proceeds from adoptions of Zewie are used to help fund MSN’s stranding response and outreach efforts. MSN promotes manatee education by distributing Save the Manatee Club’s public awareness waterway signs and boat decals in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.