The sadness and anger arising from the death of a baby manatee nicknamed Emoji, who was brought to the Lowry Park Zoo with a stomach full of trash and plastic bags, has prompted manatee fans to lash out at the human cause and ask: What can we do?
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There are a number of wildlife organizations, including the zoo itself, that welcome volunteers and donations in their efforts to save the threatened sea cows and clean up the trash-choked waterways.
But that doesn’t bring back Emoji.
The orphan manatee was brought to the zoo by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in late October when he was about 2 weeks old and weighed just 66 pounds. Along with cold stress and other health issues, veterinarians also found Emoji had plastic bags in his stomach. Many orphaned calves also mistakenly ingest fishing line, fishing hooks and other pollutants while searching for food.
By late January, the baby manatee had gained 10 pounds and seemed to be on the mend, but on Monday he died.
"Now more than ever, we must hold ourselves accountable," said Dr. Ray Ball, senior veterinarian for Lowry Park Zoo, "whether that’s keeping trash and plastics out of our waterways or being more mindful of potential consequences of propeller strikes on wildlife while boating."
Raymond Fagnon, 47, a computer engineer from St. Petersburg, said the story of Emoji shook him, but it wasn’t the first time.
"It saddens me every time I hear of an animal die due to poor human behavior," he said.
He loves to cruise around the waterways in St. Petersburg on his WaveRunner and got so fed up with the trash two years ago he rigged up a sturdy 10-gallon bucket that he attached to his personal watercraft so he can more easily pick up floating items. In addition, he uses a net to scoop up cigarette butts and other floating trash that marine animals could end up ingesting.
Many days his bucket is full after less than an hour of cruising around the Vinoy basin, he said. He got so disgusted he started logging his finds at themariner.org, a page he set up to show how widespread the marine littering is, and also to inspire other boaters to pick up trash, too.
"Why do we trash our beautiful city? It’s gross," he said. "Please spread the word. The ocean is not your trash can."
Here are some ways to make the world a better place for manatees:
• The Lowry Park Zoo’s Manatee Hospital takes donations and also accepts volunteers who assist the only non-profit, acute care facility of its kind specifically dedicated to critical care for injured wild manatees. You can find out ways to donate or volunteer at lowryparkzoo.org/involvement/donate or call (813) 935-8552.
• Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful is hosting a cleanup at the McKay Bay Nature Preserve this weekend. "This is an opportunity to prevent this from happening to other marine creatures," organizers said. The cleanup is 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday. For more information you can email Chris Kiddy at Kiddyc@hcflgov.net or call (813) 853-1177.
• "Give A Day For The Bay" is a volunteer program sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Half-day workdays are held on Saturdays several times a year at various parks and preserves throughout the Tampa Bay area. They remove invasive plants and help restore habitats. There’s a volunteer button at tbep.org or you can call (727) 893-2765.
• Tampa Bay Watch performs a variety of environmental projects throughout the year, using volunteers for coastal cleanups and restoration. Go to tampabaywatch.org or call (727) 867-8166 ext. 233.
Some rules to live by from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program:
• Watch for manatees, especially in winter. Wear polarized glasses to reduce surface glare and to allow better through-water visibility. When a manatee surfaces to breathe, only the tip of its snout is visible.
• Obey posted speed and manatee caution signs. Avoid or travel very slowly across shallow grass beds, where manatees feed and rest.
• Stow trash and properly discard fishing line. And don’t release balloons over the water.
• Report violations, manatee injuries or deaths to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 24-hour hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Cellular customers can contact *FWC or #FWC.
Contact Sharon Kennedy Wynne at swynne@tampabay.com. Follow @SharonKWn.
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