New Orleans - In the last couple of weeks boaters on Lake Pontchartrain have snapped photos of more manatees than at any other time since Katrina.The massive mammals are not likely to hang around much longer. Beneath the murky waters of Lake Pontchartrain lurks a mammal who is often hard to see. But when the water clears, it's not impossible to make out the massive shape of a migratory manatee.
More manatees were seen in the lake this summer, than perhaps any other time since Katrina
“They’re getting more common because the lake is better, more food, that's what they're looking for food, and warmth,” said Anne Rheams with the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation.
Prior to Katrina, manatees, or sea cows, were becoming quite common. In fact, herds as large as 30 manatee were spotted in the Lake Maurepas area.
“That was an unusual summer, in the 2005 summer we had that enormous herd,” said Rheams.
Manatees can grow to over 1200 pounds. Most migrate from Florida at speeds never exceeding 5 miles per hour. But in their quest for food they can range across the Gulf and have been spotted as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Manatees appear to be more common on the North Shore than they are on the Southshore.
The manatees won't be around much longer.
“They pretty much head to Florida this time of year, they're out of here,” Rheams said.
Nearly 400 manatees were killed in Florida last year, so boaters beware.
“Try to look for big shadows, and when you're in the grass beds don't rip them up,” Rheams said.
The grass you rip up could be food, for an endangered species, still hanging around, after 45 million years in the earth's warmer waters.
The Lake Pontchartrain basin foundation is trying to monitor sea mammal activity. If you spot any, give them a call at 836- 2215.
