Featured Image Credit: Samantha Manning
Dolphin Research Center’s Manatee Rescue team recently rescued a male manatee that was in serious trouble. He was about nine feet long and was found in a canal alongside Coco Plum Drive in Marathon, Florida. The manatee had been seen by residents and staff of AM Electric with fishing line tangled around both of his pectoral flippers. The manatee’s right flipper was swollen due to the line being embedded in it, as you can see in the photo below.
The team relocated the manatee to the shade using a specialized pillow stretcher. Dr. Maya Rodriguez, a veterinarian and manatee specialist from Miami Seaquarium, successfully removed all of the fishing line from the manatee. After cleaning, disinfecting and administering antibiotics to the wounds, she determined that the swelling of his right flipper was due to the embedding of the fishing line, and that it would eventually go away over time. Once the manatee was measured and microchipped, it was released into the water.
“It saddens me that we have to rescue this manatee because someone let their fishing line get into the water. But we’re happy that the public spotted the animal and called it in and that our team was able to rescue and assist it today,” said Mandy Rodriguez, Dolphin Research Center’s Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder.
In honor of the area in which the manatee was rescued and the residents who helped, the team named the animal Coco.