Adopt-A-Manatee®
Welcome
Friends of Manatee Lagoon is excited to announce we have created an extraordinary partnership with the Save the Manatee Club, the world’s leading manatee conservation organization.
You and your family now have a unique opportunity to adopt a real living manatee who frequents your area or other parts of Florida’s coastline.
By adopting a manatee, your donation goes towards efforts to help protect manatees, their calves, and their habitat. Unlike other animal adoption programs, the manatees in our adoption programs are real, living manatees with known histories.
ADOPT-A-MANATEE®
Rocket
Rocket is a male manatee, rescued as a tiny orphan in 2006. He was released with Annie at Blue Spring State Park, and they stayed together for over a year.
Whiskers
Whiskers is a male manatee who frequents Blue Spring State Park in the winter. He is the son of Dana, a former Blue Spring adoptee. She introduced him to Blue Spring in 1996, and he has been visiting the park ever since that time.
Ariel
Ariel was just two weeks old when she was rescued with her mom Amanda. She lives at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. She is a regular at the manatee education programs, lifting her head out of the water to “smile” at the visitors.
Betsy
Betsy was named after Betsy Dearth, who was a ranger at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Betsy the manatee is very friendly and curious and is quick to investigate anything new. Ranger Dearth called her, “the inspector.”
Jemp
Jemp was rescued in 1995, after being exposed to red tide. He spent some time in rehabilitation and was released later that year. Jemp is known to frequent the Sarasota and Lemon Bay areas, but he also travels in a wide range along Florida’s west coast.
Chessie
Chessie was first sighted in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland in July of 1994. This rare manatee sighting created quite a stir. By October of that year, after it was determined that he was not going to head south on his own, Chessie was rescued and flown back to Florida so he wouldn’t die from cold stress. Chessie has been known to travel along the east coast of Florida and the southeastern coast of the U.S.
Illusion
Illusion was rescued in March 2010 after a terrible boat strike. After being released, she is often seen at the FPL Riviera Beach power plant in the winter and along the east coast of south Florida.
Millie
First identified in 1980, Millie is one of the largest manatees ever recorded. She is a traveler with a long sighting history along Florida’s southeast coast. Millie has had several calves and is also a grandmother!
Gator
Gator was first identified in 2011 at Blue Spring State Park. He has been spotted on the webcam chasing and playing with an alligator at the park. That’s how he got his name!
Moo Shoo
Moo Shoo is a female manatee first identified in 2010, Moo Shoo loves to nudge the research canoe. She has had four calves.
Zelda
Zelda is a manatee who has been sighted in recent years in the Florida Keys. She was given her name because the scar on her back reminded researchers of the letter “Z.”
Phyllis
Phyllis is thought to have been born in 1985. In 1991, Phyllis gave birth to twins — a rare event for manatees. She is now the mother of several calves and a regular winter visitor to Florida waters.
