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We received the tragic news that our beloved adoptee Paddy Doyle passed away. Sadly, he was killed by a watercraft in the St. Johns River near Jacksonville at the end of April 2025. He will be dearly missed, and his story is a reminder to be extra vigilant out on the water when boating and an incentive to continue our outreach, education, and advocacy efforts for all living manatees.

Paddy Doyle was first seen at Blue Spring in 1971, making him one of the oldest manatees at Blue Spring and one of our oldest adoptees. While we don’t know his exact age, he was most likely in his late 50s or even 60s, which is much older than the average lifespan of a wild manatee. He was still in great physical condition at his untimely passing. In 1979 he officially got his ID number, Blue Spring (BS)13, and was named Paddy Doyle.

Paddy Doyle was named at the request of a visiting researcher, who was Irish and thought it would be nice to have an “Irish” manatee at Blue Spring. It turns out that Paddy’s “fighting Irishman” name was quite appropriate. During three different winter seasons from 1979 to 1981, researchers selected him to be monitored by the manatee tracking program. Each time Paddy had to be captured to be fitted for his equipment, his feisty nature was evident. However, researchers managed to tag him despite his resistance.

Valuable data is gained from tracking manatees, including details of their migration, feeding patterns, and other daily behaviors. This information has helped managers decide where manatee protection areas are needed the most. At the time he was tagged, he already weighed 1,078 pounds and was nine feet long. Also, researchers noted a possible cataract in his left eye in 1979, posing the question if he may have already been an older adult back then.

Most manatees in the wild bear scars from multiple boat hits, and Paddy Doyle was no exception. He was easily identified by very distinctive scars on his back and tail. Those scars, caused by propellers or other submerged features of boats, are graphic reminders that manatees are no match for fast-moving boats. During the time he was tagged and tracked, he proved to be a social manatee who liked the company of other manatees and didn’t go off on his own very often.

Paddy Doyle was a regular at Blue Spring during the winter months and never missed a season. He made many showings at “roll call” each winter, when researchers travel the spring run in the research canoe and count the manatees present. Save the Manatee Club’s Manatee Specialist, Wayne Hartley, remembers him as one of the first 18 manatees he studied when genealogical research began at Blue Spring in 1980. Every year, we would await his arrival to the spring for the winter season. But even during the summer months, he usually didn’t seem to stray too far away. Manatee Research Associate, Cora Berchem, recalls that each time a call came in for a mating herd in Lake Monroe (south of Blue Spring), Paddy Doyle was part of it. Although it is impossible to keep track of fatherhood, we are confident that Paddy Doyle has fathered multiple offspring over the years, and his genes will live on in the Blue Spring population. 

Paddy Doyle was social and playful, and he seemed to enjoy the company of other manatees. Late one season, Paddy went out and ate so much fresh greenery that he was bloated with gas and could not submerge. The other manatees gathered around him, very agitated, as in obvious distress, until Paddy finally bubbled and was able to submerge again. Paddy could often be seen resting near adoptees Floyd, Doc, and Howie. During the 2024-25 winter season, he gave Doc some friendly nudges right in front of our underwater webcam as if he wanted to secure his front-center spot on the camera. Another time during roll call, Paddy had his head nudged under Floyd’s tail—a rare opportunity to get two adoptees in the same photo!

It is incredible to imagine what all Paddy Doyle must have seen and experienced in his long life. From a small number of manatees using Blue Spring before it was a protected sanctuary to sharing the spring with over 800 fellow manatees during this last winter season. Over the course of his lifetime, he dodged countless boats, adjusted to a changing environment as development in Florida expanded and experienced many changes to the environment of the St. Johns River that he was born into. Over the years, many additional protections were put into place both at Blue Spring and in the St. Johns River that serve to protect manatees to this day. Paddy Doyle is leaving behind a lasting legacy and will be sorely missed by so very many.

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