Manatee left unattended before death while employees drained pool at Homosassa state park: Report
A manatee died at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in January after employees left her unattended while draining the pool, according to a new report from the USDA.
The inspection report said the pool drained faster than anticipated when nobody was watching, and because of how Shantay was positioned, she got trapped and drowned.
The necropsy also states that Shantay's immobility from the pre-existing injuries "likely contributed to this unfortunate event."
HOMOSASSA, Fla. - A 1,000-pound female manatee named Shantay died at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in January after employees left her unattended while draining the pool she was in, according to a new report from the USDA.
"They've had really an excellent record for manatee care, but it is something that I believe was avoidable. And at the same time, I think the measures are being taken to ensure this wouldn't happen again," Save the Manatee Club Executive Director Dr. Patrick Rose said.
READ: FWC investigating 9 manatee deaths in 6 weeks in the Homosassa River
Dig deeper
The inspection report said the pool drained faster than anticipated when nobody was watching, and because of how Shantay was positioned, she got trapped and drowned. She had been recovering at the state park after suffering a boat strike.
"They were trying to give better personal care to Shantay, the manatee, that was being rehabilitated. And in order to do that, they needed to lower the level of water in the tank where she was being held. And at that situation was the water drained faster. There should have been someone there on it all the time, in my opinion, and there wasn't," Dr. Rose said.
The necropsy also states that Shantay's immobility from the pre-existing injuries "likely contributed to this unfortunate event."
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
"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," the report states.
The other side
In a statement sent into FOX 13, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection wrote in part "...park staff worked closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to review what occurred and have taken steps to help prevent future issues. 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..."
Dr. Rose said he's confident the proper changes have been made to prevent something similar from happening in the future.
"I do believe changes are already being made. It's not to excuse what happened, but to learn from it and to ensure that this would never happen again," Rose said.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen.
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hims & Hers Shares Plunge. Is This a Buying Opportunity or Should Investors Run for the Hills?
Key Points Hims & Hers Health continues to post robust growth. Shares sold off, however, after revenue missed analyst expectations. The stock is still reasonably valued given its growth prospects. 10 stocks we like better than Hims & Hers Health › Hims & Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS) is one of the most volatile stocks on the market at the moment, prone to big swings in either direction. This is true even intraday, as the stock plunged following the company's second-quarter results, only to rally back, only to plunge again. As of this writing, the stock is still trading up more than 130% this year. Let's take a closer look at the most recent earnings results for this telehealth company focused on providing accessible and affordable healthcare solutions for various health and wellness needs, and its prospects. Who knows, you might want to jump in on this somewhat volatile growth stock. Hims saw strong revenue growth in Q2 Hims & Hers continued to deliver outstanding revenue growth in Q2, with sales climbing 73% year over year to $544.8 million. That was toward the high end of its forecast for revenue of $530 million to $550 million, but it missed analyst expectations for revenue of $552 million. Monthly online revenue per subscriber jumped 30% to $74 per month, while the number of subscribers climbed 31% to nearly 2.44 million. The company said that the number of subscribers in both oral weight loss and dermatology grew more than 55% in the quarter. Customers using at least one personalized subscription increased by 89% to 1.5 million, representing more than 60% of the Hims & Hers subscriber base. It said that 70% of new patients who join the platform use a personalized treatment plan, and that the number of subscribers using a personalized treatment plan to treat multiple conditions skyrocketed 170% to more than 500,000. Revenue from GLP-1 weight loss drugs fell from $230 million in Q1 to $190 million in Q2, after Novo Nordisk ended a partnership with the telehealth company. Nonetheless, it still expects to generate $725 million of revenue this year from weight loss drugs, led by oral weight loss products and personalized doses. Hims & Hers continues to spend heavily on marketing to attract new customers. During the quarter, its marketing spending jumped 50% to nearly $218 million. Marketing expenses took up 40% of revenue in the quarter, though that was down from 46% a year ago, so the company continues to see leverage in this area despite the increased spending. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) surged to $82.2 million from $39.3 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) came in at $0.17, topping the $0.15 analyst consensus as compiled by LSEG. Metric Q1 Results Growth (YOY) Revenue $544.8 million 73% Monthly online revenue per subscriber $74 30% Subscribers 2.44 million 31% Adjusted EBITDA $82.2 million 109% Adjusted EPS $0.17 183% Marketing expense $231 million 77% Marketing as % of revenue 40% (600 basis points) Gross margin 76% (500 basis points) Data source: Hims & Hers Health. YOY = year over year. Looking ahead, Hims & Hers maintained its forecast for 2025 revenue to be between $2.3 billion and $2.4 billion, equal to growth of 56% to 63%. It also kept its adjusted EBITDA guidance of $295 million to $335 million. For Q3, it projected revenue of between $570 million and $590 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $60 million to $70 million. The company is starting to look toward international expansion to bolster growth. It will begin by focusing on Canada next year, while its acquisition of Zava in July will help it expand into Europe. It also anticipates entering the Latin American and Asian markets in the coming years. Hims & Hers also continues to expand into new areas. It will launch hormonal health soon, starting with lab testing. The company believes this will help it reach its targets of $6.5 billion in revenue and $1.3 billion in adjusted EBITDA in 2030. Is the stock a buy? Hims & Hers continues to be a growth engine. Even though there's been some disruption from its spat with Novo Nordisk, it is still seeing strong growth across different health categories. With the company moving into new areas, like hormonal health and longevity, and looking to expand internationally, it has a lot of growth opportunities ahead. Meanwhile, with the majority of its subscribers on personalized treatment plans, it has a pretty sticky user base. From a valuation standpoint, the stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 55 based on the analyst consensus for 2025. But its forward price/earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG) is under 0.6, and stocks with PEG ratios below 1 are usually considered undervalued. Given that it operates a subscription business with high gross margins, you can also look at the stock from a price-to-sales perspective; on that front, it trades at a multiple of 5.5 times 2025 analyst estimates. Overall, I'd say, based on the type of business the company is in, that it's still reasonably priced. However, it's still a volatile stock that carries some risk depending on what happens in the weight loss segment. Still, I really like its international opportunity, and think Hims & Hers Health could have solid long-term upside from here. Should you invest $1,000 in Hims & Hers Health right now? Before you buy stock in Hims & Hers Health, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Hims & Hers Health wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Hims & Hers Health. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Hims & Hers Shares Plunge. Is This a Buying Opportunity or Should Investors Run for the Hills? was originally published by The Motley Fool 登入存取你的投資組合
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
New to The Street to Air Show #683 on Bloomberg, Featuring BioVie, FLOKI, PetVivo, and NRx Pharmaceuticals
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / August 9, 2025 / New to The Street, one of the nation's longest-running business television brands, will broadcast Show #683 on Bloomberg today at 6:30 PM EST. This week's episode features four dynamic companies making waves in healthcare, biotech, blockchain gaming, and sports partnerships: BioVie Inc., FLOKI, PetVivo Holdings, Inc., and NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The program, airing as sponsored programming, will also mark the television commercial debut of FLOKI, introducing the fastest-growing Valhalla Game to Bloomberg's national audience. Pedro Vidal, Chief Relationship Officer of FLOKI, discusses how the FLOKI Trading Bot has become the leader on the BNB Chain, giving traders advanced, user-friendly tools to maximize opportunities in the crypto market. Vidal also highlights the Valhalla Game's explosive success, where assets acquired in-game can be used in the real world - a groundbreaking integration of gaming and blockchain utility. Gamers are already winning Vera tokens, with over 100,000 Veras minted to date. For more information, visit and Jonathan Javitt, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:NRXP), discusses the Company's recent Citizen Petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking the removal of benzethonium chloride from all forms of ketamine sold in the United States. Benzethonium chloride, a preservative with known toxicity, is no longer allowed in hand cleansers, topical antiseptics, and many ophthalmic products. NRx has developed a preservative-free ketamine formulation with three-year stability, filed a supporting patent, and is pursuing FDA approval, including a potential labeled indication for treating suicidal depression under the FDA Commissioner's National Priority Voucher Program. Cuong Do, President and CEO of BioVie Inc. (NASDAQ:BIVI), provides an update on two ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials for Bezisterim. The first trial targets newly diagnosed Parkinson's patients entering therapy for the first time - potentially making Bezisterim the first new therapy for Parkinson's disease in more than 50 years. The second trial focuses on long COVID, specifically how Bezisterim may alleviate brain fog and fatigue, conditions affecting an estimated 17 million Americans. Both trials are expected to deliver top-line data in the first half of 2026. John Lai, CEO of PetVivo Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETV), joins Chase Chamberlin, Managing Partner at Commonwealth, to discuss their strategic partnership in the thoroughbred horse racing industry. Together, they aim to advance equine wellness by introducing PetVivo's innovative SPRYNG™ with OsteoCushion™ Technology into elite racing circles, offering a natural solution to maintain joint health in performance horses. About New to The Street For over 16 years, New to The Street has broadcast weekly as sponsored programming on Bloomberg Television and Fox Business, conducting more than 2,000 interviews with leaders from public and private companies. The brand operates the largest and fastest-growing digital business channel, New to The Street TV on YouTube, with over 3.16 million subscribers, delivering all-business, no-ads content. As a complete media ecosystem, New to The Street combines long-form television interviews, short-form TV commercials, iconic outdoor billboards, and the largest digital business platform to deliver predictable media for companies seeking to share their stories with investors, customers, and global audiences. For more information about upcoming episodes and featured companies, visit: Media Contact: Grace Bongiorno New to The Street [email protected] SOURCE: New to The Street press release
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
KCSO Deputy Gets Help with Cancer and Home Repairs
Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Jasmine Francisco is currently battling cancer while also facing unexpected financial hardship after discovering black mold in the home she had just purchased for her daughters. Solve the daily Crossword
