Manantee rescued in January released back into Three Susters Springs
Montage of manatee release courtesy of FWC.
Crystal River, Florida — On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Florida's First Lady Casey DeSantis joined the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and SeaWorld at Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River to assist with the release of a manatee back into the wild. A final medical evaluation of the manatee was conducted before he was released back into the water.
The manatee, a male named Toast, was rescued in January 2023 at Kings Bay, also in Crystal River near Three Sisters Springs, because he was suffering from a natural buoyancy problem. The manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando’s rescue and rehabilitation facility for care.
“It was a joy to be a part of this release and to see a rehabilitated manatee be returned to his home, happy and healthy,” said First Lady DeSantis. “I am proud of the work that FWC and their partners, like SeaWorld, do to help these animals when they are in need..."
“We were delighted to have First Lady Casey DeSantis join us in releasing a rehabilitated manatee back into the wild,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “...Funding manatee protection, habitat restoration, and rehabilitation ensures their sustainability for years to come.”
Florida manatees face many threats such as watercraft strikes, cold stress, red tide, entanglement, entrapment and habitat loss. The state is making a concerted effort to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees in need, while making record investments to conserve their natural environment.
The Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership works as a cooperative of agencies, organizations, and private sector partners, to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees. Since 2019, nearly $70 million has been funded to protect manatees, expand and enhance manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts, and provide habitat restoration for areas where manatees are highly concentrated.
Florida has invested $380 million to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs, which serve as an important manatee habitat when the animals seek warmer waters in the winter. As a result, in 2023, Florida manatees had the lowest mortality rate since 2017. In late January 2024, Blue Spring State Park saw a record 932 manatees seeking warm water in their spring, beating ita previous record on New Year’s Day of 736 manatees.