Manatees

After a record number of manatee deaths mostly linked to malnutrition, state and federal wildlife officials hope to double rescue and rehabilitation capacity before the sea cows again congregate in warm waters during the winter.

Florida wildlife officials have released a manatee back into the wild after he had to be rescued for the third time.

Florida officials are planning to take additional actions, which could include a second manatee supplemental feeding program later this year if natural seagrass growth cannot fulfill the needs of the endangered animals.

Conservation groups in Florida sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for not doing enough to keep water pollution from killing off marine life.

Millions of dollars from Florida's state budget will be funneled into projects to protect manatees and their habitats as their population faces high death rates.

The unprecedented, experimental program to feed starving manatees in Florida is ending, but the greater issue is the polluted water that causes the marine mammals to run out of their natural seagrass forage.

FWC said workers dropped more than 201,000 pounds of mixed produce in the water since January 20 when manatees began feeding. It cost more than $105,000 for the produce.

Every March, there is a day to not only appreciate the cute snoots of Florida's beloved sea cows but also to learn about conservation efforts to help the manatee species.

Manatee experts are pointing to concerns about boating collisions as the struggling sea cows migrate from an unorthodox feeding area in the Indian River Lagoon.

A proposed expansion at TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center may bring more people up close to Florida’s manatees. 

The experimental program that has fed tons of lettuce to starving manatees in Florida will begin to wind down as the weather warms. The feeding program has provided more than 128,000 pounds of food to the slow-moving sea cows. It is an effort to prevent another die-off like Florida saw last year.

The unprecedented human effort to feed starving Florida manatees has so far provided the lovable marine mammals with more than 25 tons of lettuce, officials announced. Last year, a record 1,101 manatee deaths were recorded, largely from starvation.

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would let builders destroy sea grass and pay to have it planted elsewhere. Those who know Florida's waterways say that's a bad idea.

Cold fronts in Florida can be stressful for manatees, which is why they head to places around the state like natural springs or TECO's Manatee Viewing Center where the water is a constant 72 degrees.

SeaWorld Orlando transferred four manatee calves to an Ohio aquarium for rehabilitation, freeing space to treat more of the threatened sea mammals that have been dying in Florida at an alarming rate.

Water quality issues have become a very visible problem in Florida in recent years with toxic algae clogging waterways and killing off shocking amounts of wildlife.