Development of the Manatee Halfway House has already begun with the leadership, dedication and significant in-kind services of the Miami River Marine Group. The project, estimated at a cost of $100,000, will significantly enhance the capabilities of the only South Florida manatee treatment center which is licensed by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service. As of January 1995, $85,000 has been committed and/or collected for the project.
This highly specialized, not-for-profit manatee treatment and recovery facility will help manatees injured and orphaned in South Florida waterways recover for re-release into the wild. It will be located in a natural lagoon on the grounds of the Miami Seaquarium and operated under the expert direction of noted wildlife veterinarian and comparative pathologist Gregory Bossart, D.V.M. Dr. Bossart has been widely recognized for his volunteer efforts to rescue and provide medical treatment to injured manatees.
The Manatee Halfway House is being developed to provide the best possible medical treatment and initial rehabilitation for injured manatees. The facility will provide a protected, natural habitat for the manatees to recover and gain enough strength to fend for themselves in open waters again. The Manatee Halfway House will cooperate with the three other licensed treatment and recovery sites throughout Florida on a case-by-case basis.
To launch the project, the Miami River Marine Group pledged its members' in-kind services, equal to match the cost to build the facility, and then mounted its community fundraising campaign to raise the other half of the funds.
Preliminary architectural plans for the Manatee Halfway House include a fully-enclosed treatment tank with above water examination platforms and an underwater viewing area. Adjacent to the tank is a natural lagoon for rehabilitation, which will feature an outdoor observation deck. Construction of the Manatee Halfway House is scheduled to begin this spring, with completion slated for 1995.
Generous Sponsors of the Manatee Halfway House
West Indian Manatee Fact Sheet
Manatee Halfway House gets Funding
Volunteers helping the manatees
A manatee friend - Metro-Dade Commissioner Pedro Reboredo
Miami Marine Group's Interesting Internet Legislative Links
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WRITE OR CALL:
Dr. Fran Bohnsack
c/o The Miami River Marine Group
690 S.W. 1st Court
Miami, FL 33130
Phone:(305)285-1864
Fax: (305)285-9371
Please send all e-mail to: manatee@gate.net
The official Internet Address of the Manatee Halfway House is:
http://www.gate.net/~manatee
After you've helped the manatees, visit their good friends at
The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium
Wildlife Wines was Founded as an Environmental Ally of Endangered Species and as an Example of How Private Industry can Assist Organizations in Effectively Implementing Conservation Efforts.
Last Updated October 24, 1996 by Jan Risbergs, Jr. of The Software Factory
