>>VIC MICOLUCCI: IT IS ALARMING THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS BROKEN ANNUAL MANATEE DEATH RECORDS IN
JUST
6 MONTHS BY JUNE 761 MANATEES
HAVE DIED. THAT RECORD HAS NOW
BEEN BROKEN AS OF JULY
THE SECOND 841 MANATEE DEATHS
HAVE BEEN
REPORTED STATEWIDE WILDLIFE
OFFICIALS SAY THIS IS DUE
MOSTLY TO AN OUTBREAK OF TOXIC
RED TIDE, SOME BIOLOGISTS BELIEVE WATER POLLUTION IS KILLING THE SEAGRASS BEDS IN
THE AREA AS WELL.
ON WEDNESDAY OFFICIALS WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO RELEASED A
MANATEE IN SAINT AUGUSTINE
AFTER IT SPENT 2 MONTHS
IN REHABILITATION. WHILE THERE
IS AN INVESTIGATION IN RESPONSE
TO THIS LATEST MANATEE RESCUE.
OFFICIALS BELIEVE REDUCTION IN
FOOD AVAILABILITY IS THE
PRIMARY FACTOR FOR THE MANATEES
IN CRISIS.
JOINING US THIS MORNING TO TALK
ABOUT THIS LATEST THE PROBLEM
AND WHAT THIS NEW RECORD MEANS
FOR THE SPECIES AS
A WHOLE VETERINARIAN WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO DOCTOR USE IF
JEFFERY GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
GOOD MORNING, THANKS FOR HAVING
ME. IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING
THAT IS CONCERNING I’M A
LIFELONG FLORIDA RESIDENT AND
FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE WATCHING.
WE KNOW AND WE LOVE MANATEES
WERE SO FORTUNATE TO REALLY
HAVE THEM IN TO INTERACT WITH
THEM.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY, AND IT’S
BEEN REALLY TRAGIC SEEING ALL
THE DEATHS ACROSS
THE STATE. AS YOU SAID THERE’S
BEEN ALMOST A 150 DEATHS
SINCE JANUARY. IT DOES SEEM TO
BE A PRIMARY
STARVATION EVENTS. WE HAD TO
HEAR COME RELATED TO THIS
UNUSUAL MORTALITY AND THEY BOTH
CAME IN VERY IN BODY CONDITION.
THE ONE THAT WAS RELEASED A FEW
DAYS AGO HIS NAME WAS GIRARD
AND HE GAINED OVER A 100 POUNDS
IN HIS
TIME HERE. BUT THEY COME IN
ELECTROLYTE AND METABOLIC
ARRANGEMENTS AND TO PROVIDE
SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO HELP
STABILIZE THEM AND IMPROVE
THEIR NUTRITION AND BY
THE STORIES.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: SO AM I
CORRECT IN SAYING WITHOUT
MINCING WORDS THAT.
>> THEY ARE AS YOU THE SEAGRASS BEDS ARE WHICH IS A NUTRITION SOURCE
FOR THEM. WE’RE NOT SURE IF
IT’S RELATED TO THE ALGAL IT IS
SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE ALGAE
ALSO POTENTIALLY RELATED TO
CHANGES IN
SEASONAL LINKS. WE HAD AN
UNUSUALLY SHORT WINTER THE YEAR
BEFORE AND THAT CAN YOU KNOW
THAT FOOD SOURCES GROWTH RATES
OF THIS EVENT. WHAT DO WE
DO HERE.
DO HERE. >>VIC MICOLUCCI: I MEAN OBVIOUSLY THE JACKSONVILLE ZOO
IS DOING AMAZING THINGS TO
REHABILITATE THEM RELEASE THEM
BACK INTO THE WILD. BUT WHAT
CAN THE COMMON PERSON DO.
>> YOU KNOW I WOULD SAY
THAT CON PERSON CAN DO A LOT OF
ONE OF THE THINGS IS IF YOU SEE
A SICK OR INJURED REPORTED TO
FWC THE FLORIDA FISH AND
WILDLIFE COMMISSION. THEY HAVE
A HOT THEY RESPOND TO ANY I
TO REPORTS AND THEY
ACTUALLY BRING THE ANIMAL TO IN
THIS WHENEVER THERE’S AN
INJURED MANATEE IF YOU’RE OUT
AND IT REALLY HELPS TO WEAR
POLARIZED SUNGLASSES AND MAKE
SURE THAT YOU’RE TO KEEP AN EYE
OUT FOR AND YOU KNOW REALLY
FOLLOW THE BOAT SPEED. RATES
WE’VE HAD A
BOTH STRAIGHT VANITIES COMING
HERE AS WELL AND SO WE CAN AT
LEAST REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
INJURIES AND THEY DOING THAT
YEAH, I MEAN IT MAKES ME SO MAD
BECAUSE I’M AN AVID BOATER WHEN
YOU SEE
PEOPLE JUST.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: SPEEDING
THROUGH THESE MANATEES OWNS THE
SIGNS ARE THERE. I MEAN IT’S
TIME TO EDUCATE YOURSELF IF YOU
DON’T KNOW AND KEEP AN
EYE OUT I THINK THE NUMBER IS
NOW 63 MANATEES THAT HAVE DIED
STATEWIDE BECAUSE OF CRASHES
WITH BOATS OR OTHER KIND OF
WATERCRAFT.
>> YES SAID THAT THAT’S
ACCURATE AND WE’VE HAD OR AT
LEAST A HANDFUL HERE SINCE WE
OPENED IN 2017.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: OKAY THERE’S
GOING TO BE PEOPLE,
ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT AREN’T
FAMILIAR WITH MANATEES THAT ARE
GOING TO SAY WELL CAN I COME
OUT THERE AND FEED THEM AND
BRING THEM LET US WHAT’S YOUR
RESPONSE TO THAT.
>> UNFORTUNATELY
THEY ARE A FEDERALLY PROTECTED
SPEECH AND UNDER THE MARINE
MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT WE’RE
ACTUALLY NOT ALLOWED TO
INTERACT
WITH IN. IN FACT WHEN WE DO
TREATMENTS AND THEN WE REALLY
WE TRY TO CREATE A NEGATIVE
EXPERIENCE SO THAT THEY DON’T
GET FAMILIAR
WITH PEOPLE AND THEY DON’T
APPROACH VOTES IN OTHER THINGS
THAT COULD
HARM THEM.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND FINALLY I
WANT TO ASK YOU THIS RIGHT NOW
THEY ARE THREATENED THEY USED
TO BE
OFFICIALLY CLASSIFIED AS
ENDANGERED SO THEY’RE STILL
PROTECTED BUT NOT TO THE SAME
DEGREE DO YOU PERSONALLY THINK
THAT THAT SHOULD CHANGE AND DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS GOING TO CHANGE BACK TO ENDANGERED IN
THE FUTURE.
>> I THINK THEY’RE RIGHT ON
THAT IT DEFINITELY CAN CHANGE
AT THIS UNUSUAL MORTALITY EVENT
WILL CONTRIBUTE
TO THEM. GOING BACK ON THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES IT’S A FINE
LINE IN TERMS OF THEIR IT’S
THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF F TO BE
SEEING US FISH AND WILDLIFE
SERVICE IN THE REGIONAL MANATEE
CRITICAL CARE CENTERS ON THAT
THEY’VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO.
GET THAT NUMBER DOWN SO THAT IF
THEY ARE THREATENED SPECIES
WHICH IS HUGE.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: DOCTOR USE OF
JEFFREY THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT
YOU AND YOUR
TEAM DO. AT THE JACKSONVILLE
ZOO. I KNOW THAT YOUR
COUNTERPARTS ACROSS THE STATE
ARE ALSO HELPING TO CUT DOWN ON
THESE TESTS AND WE CAN ALL DO
IT BY LIMITING OUR POLLUTION
BEING SAFE AND WE’RE OUT ON
THE WATER AND JUST CALLING IF
WE SEE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A