SeaWorld Drives 500 Miles To Rescue A Manatee

In late 2014, the SeaWorld Rescue team drove to Georgia to help rescue a manatee and with 2015 kicking off with unusually cold weather the SeaWorld rescue team has been called into action to rescue two manatees near Mobile, Alabama.

The manatees were found in the Magnolia Springs area near Mobile, almost 500 miles from SeaWorld Orlando.

But for the dedicated men and women on the SeaRescue team at SeaWorld, no distance is too far when an animal’s life is in danger.

Both manatees were suffering from cold stress, a condition that affects manatees when they are found in waters colder than 68 degrees. Manatees suffering from cold stress become lethargic and begin to develop sores on their skin that can lead to death.

Luckily for these two manatees there were some great organizations working together. SeaWorld was called to the scene and worked side by side with Alabama Department of Natural resources, Dolphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

With the quick action by these organizations, the manatees were rescued and transported to Orlando, where the animal care team began to administer antibiotics and get them into warmer water.

The animal care team at SeaWorld will spend the next few months caring for these animals with the plan to return them to the wild with the permission from USFWS.

While we hope that the manatees can stay warm during this unusual cold snap, we are glad that the SeaWorld Animal Care team is there to answer the call when an animal is in need.