Disturbing Manatee Harassment Caught On Tape!
Videographers Honored By Club
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Videographers Steve Kingery and Tracy Colson (center) were recently honored by Save the Manatee Club for their outstanding concern and commitment to manatee protection. The award was presented by SMC Board of Directors member Matt Clemons (far left) and Board Co-Chair Helen Spivey (far right). (Photo by Susan Clemons.)
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For further information, contact:
Janice Nearing,
Director of Public Relations
Phone: (407) 539-0990
E-mail: jnearing@
savethemanatee.org
For Immediate Release: March 15, 2007
Save the Manatee Club recently honored Citrus County residents Tracy Colson and Steve Kingery for their outstanding concern and commitment to manatee protection.
“These are true manatee heroes,” said Co-Chair of the Club’s Board of Directors, Helen Spivey. “These two very brave people captured video footage of swimmers and divers disturbing and harassing manatees in the Crystal River area. They then sent the tape to local media. This issue is getting a lot of attention and many people, apparently from around the country, are upset, so hopefully now something will be done to fix the problem and help the manatees.”
Each winter, 80,000 to 100,000 people visit the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge to snorkel and dive with endangered manatees. Thousands more go to swim with manatees in the Blue Waters area of the Homosassa River. These are the only places in Florida where swimming with manatees is allowed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) grants special use permits to tour businesses that operate in waters around the refuge, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) allows public access to part of the Blue Waters area, even when seasonal no-entry zones are in effect.
Many visitors to the area want to touch the manatees or interact with them in some way. When people try to touch or pursue manatees, they can alter the manatee’s behavior in the wild, perhaps causing them to leave a warm water area, which makes them susceptible to potential harm. Also, people can inadvertently separate a mother and calf by trying to touch manatees. Manatee calves depend on the care of their mothers for up to two years, so a calf that is separated from his or her mother could ultimately die without her.
Manatees are protected under the Endangered Species Act, so grabbing them, feeding, surrounding, or chasing them can be considered harassment and is therefore illegal. But local, state, and federal law enforcement staff are limited in numbers and are unable to adequately monitor the area, so there are many incidents of manatee harassment each year. However, just this week, the USFWS and the FWC issued a joint press release alerting the public that “law enforcement officers are watching and are prepared to issue costly citations when they see people harassing manatees.”
Pat Rose, Save the Manatee Club’s Executive Director, wants a strict “no touch” policy adopted and not just in the area of the refuge, but all over the state. “Strengthening area law enforcement is a must,” said Rose. “Severe cutbacks in refuge funding and staffing have placed manatees at much greater risk. Until the refuge has the necessary staff to monitor harassment, manatees will continue to needlessly suffer,” he added.
Colson and Kingery, who are both former refuge volunteers, received a special manatee hero medal from Save the Manatee Club that featured each of their names engraved on the back. “I started taking videos because I thought if enough people could see what was going on under the surface from the manatees’ perspective, many of those people would be outraged enough to demand that changes be made,” explained Tracy.
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