Amidst environmental adversity, a manatee was saved in a cooperative rescue effort in the vicinity of the Florida Keys. The Dolphin Research Center’s Manatee Rescue Team, with assistance from Aquarium Encounters, responded in Marathon to aid a manatee that had sustained injuries from a probable boat strike, as reported by WSVN. The nine-foot male manatee was suffering from pneumothorax, a dangerous condition impeding its ability to submerge and thus elevating its risk of further harm.
Complications arose as local brush fires caused road closures, hampering the typical process of transporting rescued manatees for medical care. Rita Irwin, president and CEO of the Dolphin Research Center, lamented the barriers posed by the fire, indicating Florida Fish and Wildlife was unable to move the manatee to an appropriate facility. A drone video, shared by FOX Weather, captured the moments of the manatee's discovery and initial care provided by the rescue team.
Dr. Scott Gearhart, the medical director at the Dolphin Research Center, led a contingent of approximately 16 individuals in a painstaking endeavor to secure and transport the approximately 1,000-pound manatee. The operation required a U-Haul for transit and culminated in the manatee's temporary placement in a medical pool at the Dolphin Research Center. "Everybody was just phenomenal in being able to handle the animal, transport it to the pool and get it in the pool, and it's a success story," Dr. Gearhart told WSVN.
The animal is currently recovering and will continue its rehabilitation at SeaWorld Orlando. Irwin, reflecting the organization's ethos, hopes for a full recovery and eventual return of the manatee to its original habitat. "Oh, we always try to return a manatee to where they were rescued. We believe that the manatee knows that area," she explained, anticipating the day the manatee can be released back into natural environs, according to WSVN.
Officials urge the public to maintain a respectful distance from distressed manatees and to report any sightings to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC.
