ORANGE CITY, Fla. – The St. Johns River’s temperature is still in the 50s, and that means manatees continue to pile into nearby Blue Spring State Park in Volusia County.
The Save the Manatee Club counted 561 manatees at the spring Wednesday.
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In recent days, so many manatees have been at the spring that it’s been tougher to make the daily count.
On Tuesday, Blue Spring State Park staff counted 653 manatees.
Blue Spring officials say they’re experiencing long wait times as people come out to see all the manatees. They say wait times to get into the park can be 3 hours or more, so be prepared if you try to come out to the park to see all of the sea cows.
Manatees go to Blue Spring State Park when the temperatures drop because the spring stays at a constant 72 degrees.
Manatees prefer warmer temperatures and can get seriously ill if they are cold-stressed.
If you see a sick, injured, orphaned or dead manatee, call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
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