Boat kills ‘baby manatee’ near Big Carlos Pass in Lee County

Reporter: Gina Tomlinson
Published: Updated:
FILE: Manatee that died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (Credit: WINK News/FILE)
FILE: Manatee that died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (Credit: WINK News/FILE)

Another manatee was killed by a boat. Witnesses said the boat hit the manatee near Big Carlos Pass in Lee County on Tuesday afternoon.

Sonia Seiuto was in a crowd on the beach near Lover’s Key as an injured manatee took its last breaths.

”They give it a CPR, but she died,” Seiuto said. “It was a baby manatee, a baby. Very small manatee. It was sad to see.”

Wrapped in a blue tarp, wildlife officials and Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies carried the manatee. David Coldbeck stepped in to help.

”I helped the last thirty yards,” Coldbeck said. “But I couldn’t do more than that.”

But Coldbeck said, there is something we can do as manatee season begins. We can watch out for the gentle giants who call our waters their home.

”Observe the no-wake areas; just keep your speed down,” Coldbeck said. “You lose a couple of minutes tops to wherever you’re going.”

If you notice circular patterns on the water surface that may mean a manatee is underneath. Wildlife officials suggest wearing polarized sunglasses and urge boaters to go slow in manatee zones or near seagrass beds in shallow areas.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.