News

Alabama/DISL Adoption Update

By Dr. Ruth Carmichael, Director, DISL, & Sophia Corde, PhD Student, University of South Alabama and DISL

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network (DISL/MSN) is welcoming spring with the release of a rescued manatee, OWA, named for an amusement park in coastal Alabama. OWA was rescued in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, and he successfully recovered at SeaWorld Orlando along with another rescued Alabama manatee named Mardi Gras, named after the vibrant celebration that started in Mobile. The release of OWA in Crystal River, Florida, marked SeaWorld’s 1,000th manatee release! Crystal River is an ideal spot to release manatees who migrate to Alabama because many of our known animals overwinter in Crystal River. We hope to see OWA and Mardi Gras healthy and visiting Alabama this summer! Following our cold season, manatees were sighted in early April this year. The first warm-season sighting was in Dog River, a favorite habitat for local manatees. We continue to get reports of manatees along the northern Gulf Coast, in the Intracoastal Waterway, and in local rivers and deltas. With the warmer weather, we remind everyone to please maintain safe boating practices and watch for manatees along the coast of Alabama and neighboring states.

With the influx of migrating manatees across the northern Gulf states, we are always on the lookout for returning visitors, including some of our previously tagged animals. This year we are particularly interested in sharing information about the travels of Clog, a manatee tagged in 2022 by the DISL/MSN. This summer, Clog joins Bama in Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee® program and is now available to adopt. When you adopt Clog or Bama, a portion of the proceeds go to the DISL/MSN’s awareness and outreach efforts, allowing you to help our program raise awareness about the presence of manatees in the northern Gulf! You can also support our work by purchasing an item from Save the Manatee Club’s online wish list. Both a manatee adoption and purchase of a needed item are tax-deductible donations. We could not do what we do without the incredible generosity of our supporters who care about these cosmopolitan manatees.