SeaWorld Orlando Rehabilitates Orphaned Manatee Calf!
A female manatee calf is bottle-fed by a SeaWorld animal care expert. The 3-week-old manatee was rescued by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation in Ormond Beach. Photo Courtesy of (SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.)
I received a new seamail talking about an orphaned female manatee calf being rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation in Ormond Beach, which is just north of Daytona Beach, Florida. The 66-pound calf was then sent over to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida for rehabilitation. SeaWorld released a statement saying the manatee “was on her own for more than 24 hours in the Tomoka River.” The female calf was “confused, lost and needed vital nutrients from nursing.”
The calf is bottle-fed 7 times a day by SeaWorld’s veterinarians at their rescue and rehabilitation facility. Results of her blood tests and x-rays report excellent news that this calf is healthy! As soon as the calf is strong enough and able to feed on her own, she will be released back into the wild.
This female calf is now part of over 500 animals that SeaWorld has rescued this year. SeaWorld is part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership [MRP]. Members of this partnership have facilities designed and focused on the medical care of manatees. The founding partners of the MRP include: the Cincinnati Zoo, the Columbus Zoo, the Disney Conservation Fund, EPCOT-Living Seas, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Miami Seaquarium, Save the Manatee Club, SeaWorld Orlando, Sea to Shore Alliance, South Florida Museum, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sirenia Project.
If you are in Florida and you see a sick or injured manatee, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-FWCC. They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about us manatees …
Here’s another cool link for you to learn more about how we’re rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Kobee Manatee
