A manatee of care at Florida State Park owned as the pool was drained, the report found

A 1,000-pound manatee, a 1,000-pound woman who had recovered from a boat strike at Florida State Park earlier this year after an employee left her and she was locked up, owned earlier this year, according to a federal government inspection report.

On January 23, employees at Ellie Schiller Homo Sassa Springs Wildlife State Park began draining manatee pools to provide care. According to the report, staff left the unadmitted manatee because the pool was drained and the pool was drained.

According to a USDA inspection report dated March 5, the pool was drained faster than expected when no one was looking, and how Chantay was placed locked up and died.

“Failure to implement proper handling procedures can lead to animal injuries and death. All animal handling shall be carried out as quickly and carefully as possible in a way that does not cause trauma,” the report reads.

State wildlife officials who conducted animal autopsies in Chantey list the causes of the death as “human-related,” according to a copy of the report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee said it received a call from a federal wildlife official just after 10am on Jan. 23.

The pool’s water depth was about 2½ feet, according to the report.

When the state’s wildlife biologist arrived at the park around 12:30pm, Chantay’s nearly 10 feet of body was covered in tarp and placed on a stretcher. She was probably killed by drowsing, the necrosis report states.

Patrick Rose, executive director of Longwood-based nonprofit Save the Manatee Club, said Shantay was rescued from Crocodile Bay, south of Port Charlotte in April 2021. At the time, the crew didn’t know exactly what was wrong with her, but like most manatees in Florida, she was probably attacked by a boat.

Rescue first took Shantay to SeaWorld, then moved to Homo Sassa Springs State Park in June 2022, Rose said.

Shantai was a tough medical case for her caretaker. A low back injury from a suspicious boat strike affected her ability to swim, and she may have suffered from nerve damage that ultimately complicated her release into the wild, Rose said.

The state’s necrosis report states that her immobility from existing injuries “is likely contributed to this unfortunate event.”

Rose said he knows Homo Sassa Springs Wildlife State Park well and assures staff who care deeply about marine mammals. He worked there as a state employee, but the nonprofit has long run webcams in the park’s natural springs, both up and down the water, allowing manatee enthusiasts to see the gentle giants floating in the spring.

Around the time Shantay passed away, the park had been renovating its observation deck, and recently dealing with environmental challenges such as extreme currents and hurricane damage, Rose said.

“I know their staff and personnel are committed to providing the best care to manatees,” Rose said. “Whatever happened here that contributed to this horrific accident, I hope all safeguards will be taken in the future.”

When manatees grow intimidated by humans, boat strikes and threats from red tides — highlighting the urgent need for Florida’s rehabilitation facilities — Rose said Shantai’s death would not affect the park’s ability to care for more injured manatees.

Because the facility is a state park, it is operated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Following the incident, park staff worked closely with the state’s wildlife agencies to review what happened, according to spokesman Alexandra Kuccita.

“As part of these efforts, the manatees in care were moved to a safe spring location and were not housed in that pool until the necessary repairs were completed,” Kuchita said in an emailed statement. “Staff continues to closely monitor all the wildlife in the park.”

In a statement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the agency is aware of Shantai’s death and officials are working to prevent future incidents.

The Federal Wildlife Agency called for the establishment of a panel of experts through a Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, which includes veterinarians and animal care staff, and has worked with state parks to review the cases and other manatee housing areas.

According to the Federal Wildlife Agency, its panel of expert reviews is ongoing.

Shantai is not the first manatee to die by own death during human care. In 2017, the famous Snooty, the world’s oldest prisoner manatee, was stuck at Parker Manatee’s aquarium a few days after her 69th birthday in the area used to access plumbing.

The Times said that museum officials at the time had failed to repair the underwater panel where the manatees were trapped.

Snooty’s death was considered a “preventable accident.”