Betsy the Manatee Welcomed Home
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park has welcomed Betsy the manatee back home.

She was born at the park on October 19, 1990, and weighed from 60 to 70 pounds at birth. Amanda was her mother.
Betsy was transferred in November 2010 to the Cincinnati Zoo for their manatee exhibit and has been there for seven years.

With the return of Betsy, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park will now be home to four resident manatees including Lorelei, Ariel, Electra, and Betsy.
The park is also a rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned manatees.

On November 15, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park lifts the gates in the Long River Bridge for the winter season to allow wild manatees access to the main spring’s warmer waters.
The resident manatees and the rehabilitation manatees will be in special enclosures including the in-ground pool of the Manatee Care Center during this time. The gates close again March 31.

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