Meet Georgia
Life is never dull when she's around
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By Georgia, She's Available for Adoption! Rescued as an orphan in 1991, Georgia has wintered at Blue Spring ever since she was released there – much to the delight (and aggravation!) of park visitors and staff. (Photo © Patrick M. Rose, SMC)
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In August, a new manatee was added to the list of available adoptees at Blue Spring State Park. But although she's new to the list, Georgia has been a frequent Blue Spring winter visitor. Life with Georgia has certainly not been dull. She's been a favorite with Ranger Wayne Hartley, who tracks the manatees at Blue Spring and has provided several entertaining Georgia stories over the years. You could say we've had Georgia on our minds for a long time.
Georgia was rescued in Brunswick, Georgia on September 18, 1991. She was an orphaned calf and probably a newborn one at that as she was just over four feet long and weighed only 64 pounds at the time. After spending the next five and a half years at SeaWorld, Georgia was released back into the wild at Blue Spring State Park on April 29, 1997. Close to six years of age, she was now over ten feet long and weighed 1,635 pounds! Upon release, she went south a quarter mile and swam into the Blue Spring Run where she has wintered every year since that time. And that’s when the headaches began for the rangers at Blue Spring.
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Because she had been effectively raised by people, Georgia saw nothing wrong with swimming to them, which meant that the Blue Spring staff had to constantly keep the people away from Georgia for her own protection. In addition, Georgia was reported checking out fishermen and other boats while out in the St. Johns River. Finally, worried for her safety, researchers moved Georgia far away from Blue Spring. But the next winter, she returned to the park with her son Peaches in tow. A compromise was struck when Save the Manatee Club paid for signs at the park asking people not to touch the manatees. Later, a ban on swimming and diving during manatee season helped to solve many of Georgia’s people problems.
Still, for all the trouble she’s caused, there’s something endearing about Georgia. One day, before the swim ban at the park, Ranger Wayne reported that Georgia found a pair of jeans hanging from the swim dock, so she grabbed them and took off. Fortunately, she didn’t go far before she dropped them. Another time, one of the rangers went home after a week of dealing with Georgia and swimmers at the park. He went out in his back yard where the high water had flooded his dock and who should he find but Georgia – waving her flipper at him!
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Georgia and her son Peaches, whom Ranger Wayne affectionately
calls "Peach." (Photo © Walker Stanberry/SMC)
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Yet another time, Ranger Wayne swam out to recover a radio, tape recorder, and his coffee cup after another rascal manatee named Wanda tipped over his research canoe. “At that time of day, most of the manatees would have been out of the spring run,” says Ranger Wayne. “Inside five minutes, Georgia, who I thought was at least a third of a mile away was at my knee. What else could I have expected?”
Georgia was fitted with a satellite tracking device or “tag” for two years, so researchers could monitor her progress adjusting to life in the wild. During the second year Georgia wore her research transmitter, her tag was reported submerged in the water. “We went out to investigate,” says Ranger Wayne, “and it turned out an alligator had bit it! But because Georgia was so easy to find, researchers didn’t see any point in putting any more expensive transmitters on her just to entertain alligators.”
Besides Peaches, Georgia has had three other calves: Savannah and Macon, both females, and a male calf in 2005 who could not be identified and remains unnamed. During the 2006 – 2007 manatee season, Georgia became a grandmother when daughter Macon gave birth to Mabel. Welcome Georgia! We’re hoping you’ll be around to entertain us with many more stories in years to come.
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Georgia's a good reminder that the best way to protect manatees is to
"look, but don't touch." (Photo © Patrick M. Rose, SMC) |
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