TAMPA, Fla. — A 1,000-pound female manatee that was recovering at a Florida state park from a boat strike drowned earlier this year after employees left her unattended and she became trapped, according to a federal inspection report.

On Jan. 23, an employee at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park began draining the manatee’s pool to give her care. Staff left the manatee, who was named Shantay, unattended as the pool was draining, checking in on her periodically, according to the report.

The pool drained faster than anticipated when nobody was watching, and because of how Shantay was positioned, she became trapped and died, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspection report dated March 5.

“Failure to implement proper handling procedures can result in injury or death of the animal. Handling of all animals shall be done as expeditiously and carefully as possible in a manner that does not cause trauma,” reads the report.

State wildlife officials who conducted an animal autopsy on Shantay list the probable cause of death as “human related,” according to a copy of the report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

The report says that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a call from a federal wildlife official just after 10 a.m. on Jan. 23 who noted that Shantay “had been found dead in the pool with her head stuck within a gap under the adjustable floor” at the state park.

The water in the pool was roughly 2 1/2 feet deep, according to the report.

When a state wildlife biologist arrived at the park at around 12:30 p.m., Shantay’s nearly 10-foot body was covered with a tarp and placed on a stretcher. She likely died by drowning, the necropsy report notes.

Patrick Rose, executive director of the Longwood-based nonprofit Save the Manatee Club, said Shantay was rescued in April 2021 from Alligator Bay south of Port Charlotte. At the time, crews didn’t know exactly what was wrong with her, but — as is the fate for most manatees in Florida — she was likely hit by a boat.

Rescue teams first brought Shantay to SeaWorld for care, then she was relocated to the Homosassa Springs state park in June 2022, Rose said.

Shantay was a tough medical case for her caretakers. Lower back injuries from the suspected boat strike affected her ability to swim, and she may have had nerve damage that complicated an eventual release into the wild, Rose said.

The state necropsy report notes that her immobility from the pre-existing injuries “likely contributed to this unfortunate event.”

Rose said he knows Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park well, and he vouched for the staff there that care deeply for the marine mammals. He did work there as a state employee, and the nonprofit has for years operated webcams at the park’s natural springs, both above and below the water, so manatee lovers can watch the gentle giants floating in the spring.

Around the time Shantay died, the park was renovating its observatory and had recently been dealing with environmental challenges like extreme tides and hurricane damage, Rose said.

“I do know that their staff and personnel are committed to giving the manatees the best care,” Rose said. “I hope that whatever may have happened here that contributed to this terrible accident will be remediated and every safeguard will be taken in the future.”

At a time when manatees face increased threats from human-caused pollution, boat strikes and red tide — underscoring the urgent need for more Florida rehabilitation facilities — Rose said he hopes Shantay’s death doesn’t affect the park’s ability to take in and care for more injured manatees.

Because the facility is a state park, it’s operated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. After the incident, park staff worked closely with the state’s wildlife agency to review what happened, according to spokesperson Alexandra Kuchta.

“As part of these efforts, the manatees under care were relocated to a secure spring location and have not been housed in that pool until necessary repairs were completed,” Kuchta said in an emailed statement. “Staff continue to closely monitor all wildlife in the park.”

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

The federal wildlife agency requested an expert panel be formed through the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, which includes veterinary and animal care staff, to work with the state park to review the incident and the rest of the manatee housing areas there.

That expert panel review is ongoing, according to the federal wildlife agency.

Shantay is not the first manatee to die by drowning while in human care. In 2017, the world’s oldest captive manatee, the famous Snooty, died at the Parker Manatee Aquarium in Bradenton days after his 69th birthday when he became stuck in an area used to access plumbing.

The Times reported museum officials at the time said workers failed to repair an underwater panel where the manatee became trapped.

Snooty’s death was deemed a “preventable accident."

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