Featured Image Credit: Dolphin Research Center via Facebook
By Emily Persico
Manatees have recently been booted off the endangered list and reclassified as threatened. But, while they may not be “endangered,” these gentle giants are still in danger, and our job protecting them is not over. Last week, yet another manatee calf was found injured, boat propellers gouging deep scars into its leathery skin. Thanks to the efforts of four groups that remain committed to manatee protection, this youngin was rescued and brought to Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation.
It takes a village. Last Monday, residents of Florida Bay found the manatee in obvious distress. It was seven feet long, obviously a calf, with boat propeller gashes visible on its body and tail paddle.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the incident but were unwilling to intervene before knowing more Information. So they waited. They waited to make sure the manatee was in real danger, to be sure that it needed our help to survive.
By Thursday, it was clear that the calf, though old enough to be away from its mother, had sustained injuries too serious to bounce back from. The wounds were swelling, and wildlife professionals were afraid that the manatee had suffered internal injuries.
Another player enters the game. The Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key shows up to help, their Manatee Rescue Team brimming with tools and knowledge. Together, the Dolphin Research Center and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission capture the wounded calf and transport it back to Player Number Four: the Miami Seaquarium.
Meanwhile, a manatee that suffered from very similar circumstances late last year is nearly ready for release. If Miami Seaquarium’s track record tells us anything, then the manatee from this week will be just fine.