Feb. 5, 1997

Folks along canal bank witness rare event

WEEKI WACHEE (AP) -- People on the banks of a canal had a rare chance to see a manatee born in the wild.

They spotted a sea cow writhing Monday near the middle of the 30-foot canal on the Weeki Wachee River near the Hernando County coast.

"At first we thought she was sick because she stayed close to the top of the water," said Karen Nugeness, who lives nearby. She and others watched for about 15 minutes as the manatee thrashed the water.

"It was a different movement," said Lil LaBrie said. "Usually they're nice and calm and stick their snoot up."

Suddenly the manatee began to swim full speed ahead. Then, like a torpedo, something shot from underneath the mammal and out of the water, splashing about two car-lengths away.

The water turned reddish-brown.

Seconds later, a calf emerged.

Landscape workers nearby began to cheer while neighbors yelled, whistled and clapped.

"It was so exciting. I've never seen anything that spectacular in my life," LaBrie said.

The cow placed her calf on her left fin and rolled onto her back to help the baby breathe. They swam down the river minutes later.

Few people ever witness a manatee being born in the wild, said Cameron Shaw of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

Neighbors named the calf Baby Ray, because they live on Ray Drive.

Shaw said it is common for manatees to seek out quiet areas, such as backwaters or canals, to give birth. He said manatees usually are born in the spring and summer, measure about 45 inches and weigh about 65 pounds.

About 20 percent of calves are either stillborn or die shortly after birth because of inattentive mothers, Shaw said. But he was encouraged by a description of Baby Ray's birth.

"I would say the prognosis is excellent," Shaw said.