Chessie re-sighted in The Bay!

Photo from 
Save-the-Manatee Adopt Chessie Certificate

For the first time in 10 years, Chessie the Travelin' Manatee, has been re-sighted in the Chesapeake Bay near Calvert County, Maryland!  Chessie's ID was confirmed by Cathy Beck, a USGS biologist who is responsible for the manatee photo-id database in Florida.  Read the news story here: WJLA News Story

Chessie was sighted in Calvert County, Md. on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, when he came to the surface to take a breath, according to the USGS Sirenia Project.  The last time we had a confirmed sighting was when he patiently waited for the Virginia Great Bridge Locks to open on Aug. 30, 2001!

Although Florida manatee scientists "rescued" Chessie the first time he was sighted in The Bay back in 1994, they are not worried this time because the water is still very warm up here.  And besides, Chessie has proven to be an excellent navigator between New England and Florida over the years, always returning to warmer waters each winter.

Not only is Chessie a remarkable manatee...he actually taught 'us' scientists that some manatees can and do successfully migrate thousands of miles on a regular basis.  For those of you who don't know the story, a historical timeline account can be found at our Chessie Watch Page.

There are several children's books dedicated to Chessie, the famous manatee who visits the Chesapeake Bay...possibly every year!  My favorite is Chessie, the Travelin' Man available from our Sirenian International Gift Shop.

I adopted Chessie from Save the Manatee Club many years ago and the photo above is from that adoption kit.  You can also adopt Chessie and many other Florida manatees from Save the Manatee Club's Adopt-A-Manatee Program!  He's listed under East Coast Adoptees along with Ilya, another male manatee known to travel north during the hot summer months.  Search our blog archives for articles about Ilya!

USGS Press Release:  http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2855