Mating Manatees Stir Up Waters and Concern Near Christian Retreat

Were they distressed, fighting or in love? That's the question on the minds of several people last week as they saw a group of manatees thrashing around in the waters of the Manatee River behind Christian Retreat.

The sight of the manatees drew plenty of people who were concerned about at least one manatee who appeared to be in distressed and maybe being bullied.

It's a rare sight that a handful of people caught and called about.

Biologists from Fish and Wildlife came to Manatee County to check it out.

While it is mating season for the manatees, biologists also were concerned about the possibility of sick or injured manatees. Sometimes the behavior can look pretty similar, said biologist Andy Garrett.

Angela Goodwin, an accounts payable supervisor at Gospel Crusade Inc. who took photos of the manatees, was alarmed when she first saw them thrashing about and heading for shallow waters in the river. She took photos and put out calls for help.

One caller told Garrett that at least one manatee was trying to beach itself and that the others might have been picking on a sick manatee. Goodwin said she counted about 15 manatees as she watched for about 30 minutes, until she knew help was on the way.

Once at the scene, biologists were pretty sure they knew what was going on. They made sure the lone female in the pack of manatees was not in distress. She was the center of attention.

Manatees it seems are not like swans, eagles, sandhill cranes or wolves. They do not mate for life. Instead the females put out a signal or scent that draws the males. Other female manatees stay away from the frenzy as almost every nearby male comes draws near and the males vie for position.

It can be an alarming sight, Garrett said.

The females want to choose when they want to be mated with, he said, but the males are persistent. And all of the activity draws attention if people are nearby.

"It's all very visible," Garrett said.

The female tries to stay as high in the water as she can and she even will go to shallow waters to stay away from the group, but the males just keep following and jockeying for positions.

Garrett said he was glad that the people who witnessed the scene at Christian Retreat called Fish and Wildlife. He said too often people do crazy things when they see the manatees in shallow waters. Most often people will try to touch them and get right next to them to get their photos taken. He said he has even seen people put their children on the backs of these lovesick manatees.

Garrett said the public should stay away from the manatees when they are mating.

"We want to grow the population," Garrett said of the endangered species.

If all went well last week, the crowds at Christian Retreat will likely see a mom and her baby swimming in the shallow warm waters there by the fall of next year.