DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 Overseas Highway Grassy Key, FL 33050 www.dolphins.org ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Dolphin Research Center is a not-for-profit corporation specializing in education and research. DRC is a tax-exempt organization, and as such, all donations, monetary or otherwise, are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Page 4 The Gray Cross

WISH LIST!

Your support helps us keep our team supplied

with necessary gear.

Honda 90 hp four stroke outboard motor,

including rigging and steering harness for

tracking boat—$13,000.00

Snorkel Masks— $33.00 each

Snorkels— $18.00 each

If you work for or own a company that makes

or sells any of these items, perhaps you can

consider an in-kind donation.

Animal rescue requires specialized equipment

to not only increase our chances for success, but

also to help us operate with the utmost safety for

the team as well as the manatees. We could not do

these rescue missions without your generous

assistance.

You may donate money for these specific

items, or make a general donation to the Dolphin

Research Center Manatee Rescue Team.

For more information, contact the

Membership Department at 305-289-1121, ext. 229, or email drc-mbr@dolphins.org!

Advocacy, cont’d from Page One

Every single one of us has the power to be advocates for manatees and

all marine life. For those of us who visit or live in Florida where most

manatees also live, this means putting their needs above our own desires.

Sure, it’s fun and wonderful to see them up close, but luring them with

water or food means we draw them to areas where they are at greater risk of

getting hit by boats or becoming entangled in dock lines or monofilament.

Their safety trumps our wish for a great picture or better look.

Throughout Florida, there are marine areas that are designated as

manatee zones where boats are required to travel slowly. We who love the

water want to get out to our fishing spots or snorkel and dive areas as soon

as possible, but we can’t let our need for speed endanger the slower-moving

manatees who might not be able to get out of our way in time to avoid

getting hit. I have yelled “Slow down!” at people on boats or personal

watercraft when they zoom past my house. Sometimes this earns me dirty

looks or angry gestures, but if calling out a warning makes the waterway

safer for sea cows and other marine life, it’s worth it!

Everyday advocacy is possible no matter where we live. We can:

Speak up for the benefit of endangered manatees.

Change our habits to reduce the amount of trash we produce.

Clean up our parks, beaches, bridges, and rivers.

Obey slow speed zones.

Share what we know with others so that human behavior benefits

marine life and conservation efforts at home or around the world.

Working together, we can be champions for animal welfare every

single day.

- Mary Stella

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 Overseas Highway Grassy Key, FL 33050

www.dolphins.org

The Gray Cross A Quarterly Publication of DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

Volume 18, Number 3 2015

Behind the Rescue Each time Dolphin Research Center is called on to assess

a manatee, the first step is to determine if the animal needs

help. It’s not uncommon for the public to contact officials

because a manatee’s behavior seems off, but it can instead be

a case of its actions being unfamiliar or puzzling to the viewer.

However, there are many times when a gentle sea cow is

indeed injured or ill and human intervention is needed.

Often, the reason stems from a man-made problem, such

as entanglement in marine debris. However, manatees face

other problems too. As the Licensed Manatee Rescue Team

for the Florida Keys, we are called to assist for a number of

reasons. Let’s look at the top five dangers manatees face.

Entanglement Manatees eat aquatic plants found on the ocean floor, an

area that can be filled with monofilament fishing line or other

marine debris that is hard to see. These nearly invisible lines

easily wrap around a manatee’s flippers or tail and can cause

harm to the animal. Line entanglements that cut into the flesh

can lead to infection of the body part. When severe, the flipper

may even self-amputate. Sadly, the animal cannot remove the

line by itself and in many cases needs to be rescued by people

Sometimes baby manatees are orphaned and need to be rescued, as was the

case with this little guy . (Photo by Mary Stella)

Cont’d Page Two

Everyday Advocacy My home in Marathon overlooks a small harbor. I spend hours on my

porch watching boats and birds pass by. Often I spot dolphins traveling

through the harbor. There are patches of sea grass just beyond my dock

pilings and sometimes manatees stop to snack.

When my family first bought this property back in the 1970s, neighbors

told us that when manatees appeared, we should grab lettuce from the fridge

to feed them and turn on the dock hose to provide them with water. As New

Jersey natives, we never experienced manatees before, so we’d rush to do so,

believing we were helping. Several years later, when Dolphin Research

Center was founded and we became members, I learned differently! DRC

taught me that manatees don’t need handouts from humans and that offering

these things encouraged them to engage in behavior that ultimately put them

at greater risk. Not only did we stop supplying lettuce and hanging a hose off

the dock, we also shared the information with neighbors and vacationers on

our street.

Although we didn’t think of it in these terms, we became advocates for

manatees. When I joined DRC as a volunteer in 2000 and then as a staff

member a couple years later, I learned even more about manatees and the

dangers they face from boat strikes, discarded fishing line and other marine

debris. I also gained a greater understanding of how we humans can either

harm them with irresponsible actions or help protect them. Cont’d Page Four

Manatees take advantage of fresh water—like when a boat’s

engines are flushed. The owner shut off the hose but the

manatee managed a quick drink. (Photo by Susan Sorensen)

THE GRAY CROSS

Dolphin Research Center is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to a better understanding of marine mammals and the environment we share. DRC is home to a colony of dolphins and sea lions where we conduct innovative research and offer many interactive, educational programs. Beyond our lagoons, we are the only private organization in the Florida Keys licensed to respond to manatees in distress. We are actively involved in our community providing outreach presentations on a variety of conservation subjects. The Gray Cross evolved from our work with stranded marine mammals. DRC’s critical care program is world renowned. Our experience with dolphins, whales and sea lions is used to help the endangered Florida Manatee. DRC has also participated in rescue and release of endangered sea turtles. As a not-for-profit organization, contributions to DRC are welcomed and tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. For more information, visit our website at www.dolphins.org, call (305) 289-1121 extension 229 or send an email to drc-mbr@dolphins.org.

Page 2 The Gray Cross

for medical treatment. If the entanglement

and injury are not too bad, medical personnel

may be able to remove the line and treat the

wound on site. The animal can then be

released. If the problem is more severe, the

manatee will be transported to a facility

where veterinarians will surgically remove

the line and treat the injury. The manatee

spends some time in rehabilitation and can

be released once it recovers.

Boat Strikes As of August 2015, 65 of the 312

manatee deaths in Florida this year were

attributed to collisions with watercraft.

Sadly, in recent years manatee deaths caused

by blunt-force impacts are rising more than

deaths caused by propeller cuts. These

accidents often result in acute wounds that

quickly lead to chronic injuries that linger

for an extended period. Internal injuries,

such as broken or dislocated ribs, can cause

internal bleeding or infection as well as lung

damage. Ultimately, death is the likely result

of severe boat strikes if the animal is not

helped in a timely manner.

Cold Stress

Although manatees are very large

marine mammals, they do not have thick

blubber layers and cannot tolerate

temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit

for any length of time. Due to this, manatees

either live in warm water or migrate further

south during winter. Even the Florida waters can

cool down too much for these sea creatures and

they will suffer from cold stress syndrome.

Scientific studies suggest that prolonged

exposure to cold water can slow the manatees’

metabolism which creates problems in their

digestive system. They may lose weight as their

appetites decrease and their immune systems

become weaker. Skin lesions may erupt. If not

treated, the lesions can become infected causing

even more distress. In years where the water

temperatures throughout Florida have stayed low

for long periods of time, hundreds of manatees

have died because of cold stress!

Loss of Mother

Calves are nutritionally dependent on their

mothers for the first year of life. Like all

mammals, manatee youngsters nurse on rich

milk their dams produce. Even after they wean

they stay with their mothers for up to two years

to learn survival skills such as feeding and

resting areas, travel routes, and warm water

refuges.

When an orphaned manatee is called in, our

assessors will monitor the location to have eyes

on the young manatee and wait to see if a mother

has parked their calf there while attending to

other needs – a very normal manatee behavior. If

Rescue, cont’d from Page One

Cont’d on Page Three

Many of the manatees in Florida can be identified by the scars left after they are injured by boats.

Fortunately, for this animal, the wounds were not so severe. It survived the injuries and healed

without needing to be rescued. (Photo by Kit Curtin)

Yes! I would like to make a contribution to Dolphin Research Center’s Manatee Rescue Team and their efforts to save an endangered species. __$10 $15 $25 $35 $50 Other $ Donations can be mailed to DRC, 58901 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key, FL 33050, made online at www.dolphins.org or faxed to (305) 743-7627. Thank you!

Name: ____________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ City: ____________________ State: ____ Zip: _________ Country: _____________

Type of Payment: (Please make checks payable to Dolphin Research Center.)

___ Check (US Funds) ____ Money Order (US Funds)

Credit Card: ____ VISA ____ MasterCard ____ Discover ____ Amex

Card # __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ Expires: __ __ /__ __

Signature of Cardholder: ________________________________________________

For more information about the Gray Cross and Dolphin Research Center, call 305-289-1121 extension 229. SC# NSC1509

Page 3 The Gray Cross

Rescue, cont’d from Page Two

DOLPHIN, WHALE, MANATEE, OR

TURTLE IN DISTRESS

Call 1-888-404-FWCC

Information brought to you by

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

www.dolphins.org

Licensed Manatee Rescue Team for the Florida Keys

the calf is alone for an extended period of time, the best

choice for the animal is a rescue attempt. The youngster then

spends more than a year in rehabilitation, receiving excellent

care as it grows. When it is old enough to survive on its own,

it is released, but its progress is monitored for several months

to make sure that it continues to thrive.

Foul Play

Not everyone is committed to marine mammal protection

and conservation. Harassment is an issue that is often

overlooked. While some direct human interaction may begin

innocently enough, albeit inappropriately, by a person giving

the manatee a drink of water from their hose or reaching out

for a backrub, other events are far from innocent. People have

been caught riding manatees, corralling them into canals, and

purposefully inflicting harm on them. In some cultures,

manatees are killed for their meat. The best way to keep

manatees away from foul play is not interact with them at all

so that they stay leery of humans.

Although these are not all of the reasons there is a need

for manatee rescue teams, they are the ones most often

experienced. Remember, you can make a world of difference

for all marine mammals by thinking about their wellbeing on

an everyday basis. Be a voice for manatees and all marine

mammals. Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible. Pick

up debris you find on the ground. Pay attention to speed

limits and wake zones. If you see a manatee while boating,

turn off your engine. Tell others about the dangers of offering

water or otherwise interacting with them. Armed with

knowledge you gain from DRC, and other likeminded

organizations, we can ensure the future of these amazing animals.

- Vanessa Collins

References:

2015 Manatee Mortalities. (2015, August 21). Retrieved September

1, 2015, from http://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality

-response/mortality-statistics/2015/

Information for Boaters and PWC Operators. (n.d.). Retrieved

August 31, 2015, from http://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/

manatee/for-boaters/

Oh Baby! Manatee Mothers and Calves. (n.d.). Retrieved August

31, 2015, from http://www.savethemanatee.org/

moms_and_calves.htm