News

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Adoption Update

By Kate Spratt, Park Services Specialist, HSWSP

Are you warm, because we certainly are! Summer is in full swing, and our animal ambassadors are doing what they can to relax in the shade. Out of all of our ambassadors, our resident and rehabilitation manatees have the best place to beat the heat—in the spring! If you want to see them more active, make sure to visit our park during the cooler morning hours.

All five of the manatees in our care—Ariel, Betsy, Heinz, Piper, and Shantay—are enjoying the cool waters of the spring and spring run. If you come by our park for a visit, you may notice that not all of our manatees are in the main spring. Wildlife care rangers have some of our manatees contained in the paddock and in-ground pool for close observation. What does this mean? This means that our team is closely monitoring certain health factors to gauge improvements to the manatee’s health. How much each animal eats, how active they are, and where they prefer to spend their time all contribute to the overall picture of an animal’s health. To learn more, join one of our two daily manatee programs presented by our rangers or expert volunteers to get the full picture on manatees and how our state park plays a valuable role in their continued survival.

Are you passionate about manatees, enjoy people, and want to share messages of conservation? Our state park is looking for volunteers to present daily manatee programs. This volunteer position includes presenting formal programs to visitors, answering visitor questions, and monitoring the manatees under our care. If interested, please apply online at volunteers.floridastateparks.org. Email any questions to volunteer coordinator Thea Knott at Thea.M.Knott@FloridaDEP.gov.