Home Free! SeaWorld Helps Release Rehabilitated Manatees
Featured Image Credit: SeaWorld Video Screenshot
On January 10th, 2018 two manatees were released back into the wild by SeaWorld and the Jacksonville Zoo with the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The release took place near the St. John Boat Ramp. The location was chosen because it is a warm water source.
When manatees are rescued by organizations like SeaWorld and the Jacksonville zoo the goal is always to rehabilitate and return to the wild as quickly as possible, even in winter months. During the year the FWC monitors conditions, including temperature, of Florida waterways so that manatees can be released year-round. Releasing the manatees in a warm water source allows them to familiarize themselves with the site so they can return when temperatures drop.
Image Credit: SeaWorld Video Screenshot
The two manatees were rescued at different times and places. Harper Lee, a sub-adult female was rescued in November from Sikes Creek in Merritt Island, Florida due to an entanglement. To rehabilitate her, she was given routine wound care and antibiotics to treat an infection caused by the entanglement.
Carolina, the other manatee, is also a sub-adult female. She was found trapped in the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina along with a larger group of manatees when temperatures dropped rapidly in November. She was Jacksonville Zoo’s first critical care patient in their new facility. Over her six week rehab, she recovered from the cold stress injuries and regained her strength.
Featured Image Credit: SeaWorld Video Screenshot
Along with releasing the two manatees, SeaWorld Orlando transferred a young rescued manatee to Jacksonville Zoo. With the Manatee Rescue Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), different facilities can work together and transfer rehab animals between facilities so that future rescues are not turned away. Because the Jacksonville Zoo is taking over this case, SeaWorld Orlando can allocate their resources to future critical rescues.
The Florida Manatee was recently reclassified from endangered to threatened. However they still face serious threat from both natural and human causes. Natural factors like exposure to red tide, cold stress, and disease are all risks the manatees face. Human problems like boat strikes, crushing by floodgates for locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear are also threats. The MRP, FCW, SeaWorld and institutions like Jacksonville Zoo are all working to rescue manatees affected by these threats.
