TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Clearwater Marine Aquarium say they have been monitoring the situation regarding a wounded manatee and her calf spotted over the weekend in the Treasure Island area.
But so far there had not been any rescue attempts.
FWC was out on the water again Monday morning looking for the manatee but say they didn’t find her and believe she might have moved out of the area overnight.
The story is hard to hear about and even harder to see. The manatee has a two-foot open wound likely caused by a watercraft and a helpless calf was staying nearby.
The incident tugged at a lot of heartstrings in the neighborhood, where people gathered to watch.
“Horribly concerned about the calf and mother,” said Cheri Smith, visiting a neighbor. “The mother being injured and the calf being by itself. If the mother dies. That’s horrible.”
Wildlife workers hope if anything positive can come from the sad images, it will remind people that this is one of hundreds of manatees suffering the same fate each year, and hopefully people will pay closer attention.
“When you see it,” said neighbor John Collins, “it plays on your emotions personally.”
The stark numbers, while far less personal, show an unsettling trend when it comes to manatee deaths
According to the FWC, there were 300 in the first half of this year and 81 of those were killed by watercraft.
That a staggering 37% over the 59 deaths recorded over the same period the previous year.
When asked about what could be contributing factors, FWC has said it could be a number of things.
“Things that we think about sometimes are gas prices being lower. The economy doing better. People in the water,” FWC Biologist Andy Garrett told 10News. “Beautiful weather days. Animals are out and about as well.”
Those who collect data on the number of manatees killed say the reason might also, in part, be because the number of manatees overall has increased thanks to conservation efforts.
Critics say that’s even more reason to be that much more careful.
“I think about it’s really just the need to be slowing down,” said Collins. “That’s really what comes down to - because you can’t really see them.”
The case of this particular mother manatee and its calf is likely getting more attention because it’s so visible from shore. But neighbors hope it reminds people to be more aware, follow the rules, and help preserve those manatees we don’t usually see this close-up as well.
“We have to be cautious. They’re God’s creatures,” said Smith. “There’s more out there. Very few, though.”
Despite these sorts of setbacks, wildlife workers say the number of manatees has been slowly increasing in Florida. Their latest population estimate is a little over 8,800 based upon aerial photos taken around the state between 2015 and 2016.
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