Date: Thu, 22 May, 1997
Injured Manatees need New Homes

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Manatees that cannot live in the wild are filling up facilities set aside for their care, forcing wildlife officials to seek places outside Florida that are suitable to the endangered animals.

"The rehabilitation facilities are crowded beyond their capacity to care for the animals, so we're looking at alternatives," said Robert Turner, manatee rehabilitation coordinator at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The wildlife service has never moved manatees out of Florida, where five facilities care for 50 or so animals that have been injured or orphaned. While many will eventually be returned to their natural habitats, about a dozen cannot be released to the wild because they've been in captivity too long, were too badly injured or were orphaned too young.

"If somebody can build a good facility that meets the standards we have in Florida, we're not opposed to them receiving permanent captives," said Kipp Frohlich of the Florida Officeof Endangered Species.

So far the Columbus Zoo in Ohio is the only facility that has talked seriously about the idea. Its board of directors has approved a $25,000 feasibility study.

Other offers have been rejected.

"I've been approached in the past by facilities that wanted to display manatees, and I told them that's not going to happen," Turner said.
"But now we're in a position where we need help."

Earlier this year, scientists counted 2,229 of the endangered sea cows in Florida waters. A record 415 manatees died in Florida last year; 151 of those perished in Southwest Florida between March 5 and April 27 due to red tide toxin. Manatees are now at five facilities in Florida: Florida Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Sea World in Orlando, Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, the Miami Seaquarium and the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park.



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