In conservation, saving imperiled species is at the top of the priority list. At the same time there’s an ongoing effort to keep species from becoming imperiled. My exhibit at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is all about imperiled birds and their environment, but The Bishop has so many other conservation efforts going on, I think it’s important to make everyone aware of what’s going on there right now.
Probably the most visited area of The Bishop (my exhibit not withstanding) is the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat. The Manatees are a favorite for children and adults alike, but the Manatees are not there just for the public’s entertainment. The Bishop has a mission of rehabilitating sick, injured and very young Manatees. The Bishop has been rehabilitating Manatees since 1998, when it was known as the South Florida Museum, and it helped found the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership in 2001.
Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. It is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill or even annoy manatees. Still, despite the protections, Manatees face many threats including watercraft strikes, cold stress, red tide, entanglement, entrapment, and habitat loss. That’s where the rescue and rehabilitation partnership comes in. That partnership offers a concerted effort to rescue, rehabilitate, release, and monitor sick and injured manatees.
The Bishop’s role in all of this is as a Stage 2 rehabilitation facility. Manatees arrive at The Bishop after their critical health needs have been met. Two new young Manatees have recently made The Bishop their new home for now. Juveniles Felicia and Doscal are the 39th and 40th Manatees to be rehabilitated at the facility since 1998, according to The Bishop. Both are being monitored daily for signs of stress, but they seem to be calm and are both eating well, as you might notice in the photos I took.
Felicia, who hammed it up for the camera, is a female Manatee about 7 feet long and nearly 400 pounds. She was rescued April 22 from Ruskin Inlet with her mother who was hit by a boat. Felicia’s mother died from her injuries. Doscal, the male Manatee, is also about 7 feet long and weighs 347 pounds. He was an orphan who was found emaciated when he was rescued from the Orange River in Lee County on April 3. They will stay at The Bishop until they are old enough to survive on their own and healthy enough to be released.
While conservation is at the core of The Bishop’s mission in Manatee County, it’s also a great place for children to be educated about that mission while having fun. Today The Bishop celebrated its grand opening and ribbon-cutting for its new Mosaic Backyard Universe. It is designed to encourage exploration in fun and interactive ways and to discover a passion for lifelong learning about science and nature.
Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures recently opened. It’s an exciting exhibit that explains the roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythic creatures, such as unicorns and dragons. If you think about it, you can see what prompted those myths in nature even today.
And if you do go to The Bishop to take part in all of these new amazing opportunities, please stop by the imperiled birds exhibit on the second floor and let me know what you think. You can comment below or on my Facebook page.
