News

Coastal Adoption Update

By Cora Berchem, Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate

The summer months are always a bit slower for adoptee sighting updates as manatees disperse from their warm-water winter homes to traverse Florida’s waterways. Our partners did not have any updated sightings for Jemp, Flicker, Elsie, Ginger, or Vector on the west coast, or Illusion on the east coast. Unfortunately, Chessie lost all his tracking gear, so researchers are currently unsure about his whereabouts but hoping he will show up at a warm water site this coming winter. Millie seems to like spending her summer in the Silver River, where she has been observed feeding and traveling by our fellow researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and the public. Millie is an extremely large manatee, who is oftentimes filmed or photographed by people exclaiming how big she is!

Our newest adoptee, Zelda, has also been seen numerous times by members of the public in Summerland Key and Big Pine Key (part of the Florida Keys) over the summer with her new little calf alongside her. Zelda was first spotted in 2002 in southwest Florida but she has been recorded mainly in the Florida Keys since 2014. She likes to hang out in the canals that provide more protection than the open waterways. We want to remind everyone that if you encounter a manatee in the wild, especially mom and calf pairs, please give them space and observe from a distance. Do not give manatees food or water, as it can make them lose their natural fear of humans and put them in harm’s way. And if you do spot a wild manatee, tell us about it! Complete the manatee sighting form at savethemanatee.org/sightings.