News

Join us in welcoming the exciting new addition!

March 20, 2023

Save the Manatee Club adoptee Annie gave birth to a little calf on Friday, March 17, in the late afternoon at the spring head of Blue Spring. This is Annie’s sixth calf and her fifth one born at Blue Spring State Park. Annie had been using the protected warm-water refuge of Blue Spring all winter, and our research team had been monitoring a very pregnant Annie for several weeks. We were all very excited when she gave birth! There is no word yet on whether the calf is a boy or a girl.

Calves usually stay with their mother for one to two years before being weaned, during which time they nurse, learn how to find fresh water and warm-water sites, and navigate the waterways. It is important to always give them space when encountering them in the wild and practice passive observation.

Rescued as a little orphaned calf in 2005, Annie was rehabilitated and then released at Blue Spring in 2008. We are celebrating Annie’s new calf with a baby shower to support other calves and manatees who are currently undergoing rehabilitation at our Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) facilities. You can participate by purchasing an item from our wish list to help manatees and their caretakers.