Please report any manatee, sea turtle, dolphin-related injuries or related crimes to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission wildlife emergency hotline: 1-888-404-3922.
Be prepared to provide information for the following questions:
- Is the manatee alive or dead?
- When did you see the manatee?
- What is the exact location of the manatee?
- How long have you observed the manatee?
- What is the approximate size of the manatee?
- What is the location of the public boat ramp closest to the manatee?
- Does the manatee have a “tag” attached near its tail?
- Can you provide a contact number where you can be reached for further information?
After contacting the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline, a manatee biologist will call you back to the number you provided. In the meantime, please take pictures and/or a video of the manatee to send to the biologist. This footage can assist in determining what is wrong with the manatee and/or to help identify the individual through any unique characteristics if it happens to leave the area prior to further evaluation of its condition.
Manatee Viewing Guidelines and Prohibitions
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages passive observation, which means not initiating contact with manatees and calmly observing from a distance and at the surface.
The following activities are prohibited within all waters of Kings Bay, including Three Sisters Springs:
- Chasing or pursuing a manatee
- Disturbing or touching a resting* or feeding manatee
- Diving from the surface onto a resting or feeding manatee
- Cornering or surrounding a manatee
- Riding, holding, grabbing, pinching, poking, prodding, or stabbing a manatee with anything, including your hands and feet
- Standing on a manatee
- Separating a mother and calf or separating a group of manatees
- Giving manatee(s) anything to eat or drink
- Actively initiating contact with belted/tagged manatee(s)
- Interfering with rescue and research activities