There is something about wresting with your siblings after school as a child that is so fun and exhilarating. Now, as I volunteer at the manatee health assessment in Crystal River by capturing and handling manatees, I am brought back to those same feelings I had as a child. The manatee health assessments at Crystal River are led by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sirenia Project using the required permits, with personnel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the University of Florida and many others. These health assessments are a tool for many research projects and serve as a benchmark for the standard health of manatees – think of them as manatee physicals. Part of the manatee health assessment involves netting a manatee, bringing it on the beach, and performing medical tests such body weight, oral temperature, heart rate, blood samples, ultrasound of the heart, ultrasound of fat thickness, and biopsies, before releasing it back into the water.
Helping with a manatee health assessment
It may sound easy because most of us think of manatees as these slow creatures. However, they are extremely powerful once on land and can whip their flukes with force. I spent most of my time trying to wrestle a manatee so it would calm down and allow veterinarians to perform the tests.
Some of the Marine Mammal Management students
After helping with these assessments in the past, I was excited this time to actually assist with some of the procedures, including morphometrics, CO2 measurements and oxygen support. Manatee health assessments can be exhausting but totally worth the effort. It was a great way to interact with such an incredible animal, and to be up close and personal with an endangered species was truly amazing.
Joy Middleton
Master of Professional Science student – Marine Mammal Management
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