Renting a boat to see manatees in Homosassa – Crystal River, FL

Renting a boat–even a canoe or kayak–is probably the easiest way to go see manatees in Homosassa and Crystal River.

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Snorkeling with manatees the right way in Homosassa

Captain Mike’s is the swim with manatee tour you want to go on in Homosassa to get close to manatees, but not bother them.

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Homosassa Wildlife Park: Manatees in rehab and wild in the river

Crystal River Manatee

Probably the easiest and most reliable way to see manatees on the Nature Coast in northeast Florida is at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, right off the main drag, route 19. You can see female manatees that can’t leave and young manatees that will be released someday getting fed at the Manatee Care Center. Plus, it’s one of the very few places in the area you might get to see wild manatees from the shore (easier on you and the manatees)–provided you show up in January or early February.

Like pretty much all the Homosassa manatee attractions, it’s hard to get your head around where the logistics. The wildlife park used to be a private zoo in Florida’s roadside zoo attraction heyday; the lone hold-over is the hippo, Lu, now 51. Otherwise, it now only takes native wildlife that can’t live in the wild because they were injured, sick or raised in captivity.

The park has a big parking lot and outpost on route 19 but the real action is closer to the shore. You either take a pontoon boat (they leave about every 15 minutes) or you walk. Or, you can just drive there. The park really begins deep in the pretty, winding Spanish moss covered roads of old Homosassa.

Captive manatees getting fed at Homosassa Wildlife Park

Some people will tell you the park only has captive manatees. Not true. Wild manatees visit the area. I heard varying accounts of

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Manatee Week at Animaltourism.com

Last week I went go see Florida manatees by snorkeling, canoeing, by land, by power plant, at a rehab center. This week I’ll review the options for tourists.

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SeeTurtles.org expanding to see (and help) other wildlife

See The Wild trip to India

SeeTurtles.org is expanding to show people how to go see and help animals around the world with seethewild.org

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Hunters kill 4th endangered Whooping Crane in 2 months

Baby picture of Crane # 412, 2004-2011

Hunters kill 4th endangered Whooping Crane in 2 months. This bird, #412, learned to migrate by following an ultralight aircraft from Necedah, WI to Cherokee County, AL. Last year his chick disappeared. Hunters killed three whoopers in GA this winter. Less than 600 survive. The bird was discovered Jan. 28–two days before the end of waterfowl hunting season. The main hunting area in Cherokee is the Little River National Preserve, which got national parks funding and designation in 1992, but with the special exception that hunting be allowed there. Great idea.  Chattanooga Times Free Press

Rare and freaky blanket octopus spotted octopus off Florida. It’s red, huge and has cape-like arms. People rarely see these regular residents, which live far off shore when the Gulf Stream isn’t acting funny. JustNews.com via Scienceblogs

Michigan wants to ban wildlife rehabiliators from helping sick or injured mute swan. They want to restore the native trumpeter swan, instead. MLive

Israel tests bomb-sniffing mice for airline passengers. Om Dagens Nyheter

Leaked report shows Tanzania’s road through the Serengeti would carry a million cars a day. The road would cut off the migration of elephant, zebra and wildebeest, the country’s main economic engine. Chicago Tribune

Obama administration says, sure, walruses deserve endangered species protection, but they won’t get it. LATimes

Japanese dolphin killers at it again, this time more discreetly & daily tour of animal news

Blue Atlantic discovers Japan still slaughtering dolphins in way that doesn’t turn bay red. South Africa kills four poachers. Six WWF workers kidnapped in India, likely by poachers.

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Galapagos to drop rat poison; New Yorkers have tradition of fighting rats and dogs

Galapagos to drop rat poison; New Yorkers have tradition of fighting rats and dogs

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Nova Scotia still paying $20 coyote bounty; Wild bald eagle courts one at zoo

Nova Scotia is going back to barbaric bounties, offering trappers $20 per coyote pelt. They hope to kill 4,000 that way. Finland wolves and ND coyotes also under attack from poachers and snowmobiles.

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Wild Mexican wolf count up to 50; GA to cut hunting lands

50 Mexican wolves survive in NM and AZ, up from 42 last year, despite an effort by ranchers to sue and shoot them off public lands.

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