Last week I took a 2nd trip (see last year's post) to Manatee Park in North Fort Myers.
Since opening in 1996, 17 acre Manatee Park hosts 100,000 visitors annually. During the cool winter months when the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico and rivers falls below 68°, the endangered Florida manatee (whose closest relative is the elephant) seeks refuge from the cold waters by swimming into the Florida Power and Light warm water discharge canal. This non-captive manatee sanctuary provides a winter haven for these warm-blooded native mammals that live, feed, and raise their young year round in the fresh, brackish, or saltwater coastal areas of Florida.
