Manatees on camera and in care

Our lettuce-loving sea cows are making the headlines — in more ways than one.

A manatee is just underneath the surface of some blue-green water. The animal is sticking its nose out from under the water which has a shiny reflection from lights above.

Got any veggies?

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Manatees have surfacing on local news feeds lately, so we thought we’d give a couple of updates on our favorite whiskered sea mammal.

Not so gentle giants

Filming starts soon in Tampa for “No Wake Zone” — a movie about a killer manatee. The horror/comedy will film for 13 days in early 2024, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Sarasota-based production company Toxic Pictures is expected to spend around $800,000 dollars in Hillsborough County during filming.

We’re going to need a bigger head of lettuce.

ZooTampa rehabbing trio

In the world of nonfiction, ZooTampa is rehabilitating three manatees before they are released back into the wild in the coming months, as first reported by That’s So Tampa.

Piccolina, Soleil, and Calliope were previously treated at ZooTampa’s David A. Straz, Jr. Critical Care Center before spending around a year at the Cincinnati Zoo. The trio were three of the smallest manatee calves to ever arrive at the center when they first arrived, but now weigh over 2,500 lbs combined.

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