Veterinarians at the Miami Seaquarium are rehabilitating a young manatee found emaciated near his dead mother in the mangroves near Tavernier Creek on Thursday.
The 5- to 6-month old calf, named Kahiki after the Kahiki Harbor subdivision on Plantation Key where it was brought to shore, weighed just 77 pounds — nearly half the weight of a healthy calf.
“That’s near a birth weight almost,” said Seaquarium veterinarian Maya Rodriguez. “It’s because he was not getting any nutrients from the mother.”
The mother appeared to have been struck by a boat propeller and suffered extensive internal damage, according to officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Residents reportedly spotted the mother and calf more than a month ago in marinas and neighborhood canals near Tavernier Creek.
“At that time, it appeared the mother was moving and feeding OK,” FWC manatee biologist John Cassady said. “The decision was to let them go and let the calf get a little bigger so we wouldn’t put the stress of a capture on it.”
On Wednesday, Cassady responded to another sighting of the pair and said he knew the mother was near death. Cassady placed a radio transmitter on the mother’s tail to locate them on Thursday for a rescue.
Wildlife officials followed the signal to the mother’s body, which was rolled over on its back in mangrove roots with the calf still by her side.
“She had died just within a day. If we had not gotten that call [on Wednesday] and put the tag on her, we would’ve never found the calf,” Cassady said.
The calf is receiving daily antibiotic treatments and formula feeding in a heated pool at the Seaquarium, and his health has improved slightly, but he remains in critical condition, Rodriguez said.
If the calf recovers, it would likely stay at the Seaquarium for two years before it is large enough to be released into the wild, Rodriguez added.
The Miami Seaquarium is one of only three critical-care facilities for injured manatees in the state. This is the 10th manatee rescued and brought to the Seaquarium this year.
Residents who spot injured or distressed manatees and other wildlife are encouraged to call the FWC’s wildlife alert hotline at (888) 404-3922.
July 31, 2009
Contact: Gabriella Ferraro, 772-215-9459
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Dolphin Research Center rescued a female manatee today at Gilbert’s Marina in Key Largo.
Biologists captured the animal so they could remove monofilament fishing line that was embedded in the manatee’s right flipper. If left untreated, the entanglement could lead to the loss of the flipper.
A Miami Seaquarium veterinarian removed the line, treated the wound and deemed the animal healthy enough for immediate return to the wild.
Monofilament fishing line can cause serious injury or death for a variety of Florida wildlife. Florida’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program is a statewide effort to educate the public about the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line-recycling bins and drop-off locations, and to conduct volunteer fishing line cleanup events. For more information, visit www.fishinglinerecycling.org.
To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
With the winding down of the fawning season in July, quite often we feel that the fawns have had time to adjust to vehicles. However, the Lower Keys has on occasion experienced a crop of new fawns in August. Residents are being cautioned to watch out for new fawns during this time.
Residents living in Key deer habitat need to be aware that as a doe crosses a road, a fawn may be following and the fawn will not understand the threat that a vehicle can present and may run in front of the vehicle. These new fawns have not had time to experience vehicles and may dart across a road unexpectedly. Other hazards to deer and fawns in particular, include free-roaming dogs. Even if a dog does not catch a fleeing fawn, it may die from being chased into traffic or a canal. Residents are reminded that dogs on refuge lands must be on a leash. Residents seeing free-roaming dogs are encouraged to report them to animal control (305-743- 3779).
UPDATE May 12, 2009Cutter, A young Atlantic spotted dolphin that spent nearly three months recuperating at a Florida Keys marine mammal rehabilitation center has been released off Key West. Rescuers with the Marine Mammal Conservancy released the animal Tuesday after finding a pod of dolphins for him to join. Young rescued marine mammals are not normally released, because they need their mothers to learn survival skills. But Cutter, as the dolphin was nicknamed, is believed to be just under three years old. Experts believe he probably knows enough to live in the wild and could learn additional survival skills if accepted by the pod.
Cutter will be closely monitored for the next two days to make sure he is accepted by the pod and able to find food.An Atlantic-spotted dolphin that was rescued in February in Key West Harbor is set to be released in mid-May, marine mammal experts say. Cutter is to be moved to Key West in the next few weeks so officials at the Marine Mammal Conservancy can search for a pod of Atlantic-spotted dolphins that is believed to still be in the area. MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said once the pod is located, Cutter will immediately be transported and released. The adolescent dolphin will be fitted with a VHF tracking tag and monitored to ensure its acceptance by the pod, Lingenfelser said. Normally young rescued marine mammals are not released because they need their mothers for nutrition and behavioral conditioning. But Cutter, estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old, is at a borderline age and experts feel he probably knows enough to live in the wild, but can learn additional needed survival skills if accepted by the pod. Thus was the reason MMC, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service and a panel of other experts, agreed to a conditional release. “This has never been tried before,” Lingenfelser said. “But Cutter is very healthy and we’ll be monitoring him very closely to ensure he is OK. If he doesn’t do well, we’ll be ready to rescue him again.” Some dolphin advocates were critical of MMC for removing Cutter from the water, saying the animal wasn’t in danger and didn’t need to be rescued. Lingenfelser disagrees. “If we had not rescued him, he would have died,” said Lingenfelser. “Medical tests proved he was starving and because of that, his liver was compromised and there were other issues.” The dolphin was named Cutter by U.S. Coast Guard personnel in Key West because of the proximity of its Feb. 14 rescue next to their station. The mammal has received round-the-clock care at MMC’s Key Largo rehabilitation facility.
Biologists have learned a manatee rescued earlier in the week is pregnant.
Patsy, a 6-year-old manatee rescued just off the coast of Key Largo, was found with her front flipper severely tangled in fishing line. Biologists learned of the Patsy’s entanglement two years ago, but were not able to make a successful rescue until Wednesday. Rescuers had to make several attempts to rescue the manatee, because of worries the fishing line would cut off her circulation.
“We took off of the entanglement, about 90 percent. There still is a little bit, but hopefully, we got most it where it might fall off,” said Jodi Linvill, an animal care supervisor. “Right now, we’re just waiting to see if the swelling goes down, and how it ends up looking to determine what we do next.”
Patsy is recovering well. Biologists said they now have to decide how long to keep the manatee, and may do so until she gives birth. However, if the swelling goes down, Patsy will be released to have her baby out in the wild.
The Marine Mammal Conservancy will keep its Key Largo home base, group officials reported Wednesday. A real estate closing held in Miami seems to end a lengthy court battle with the former owners, JPB Properties of Colorado.
“We’re very happy to have this behind us,” MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said. “We just want to continue on with our mission and continue to serve stranded marine mammals in the Florida Keys and South Florida.” Last year, Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Luis Garcia ordered JPB Properties to honor a contract to sell the bayfront site near mile marker 102.5 to the MMC for $458,000, a provision in the MMC’s original lease with the former owners.
JPB, headed by John Powers, contended the MMC had violated the lease, so the contract was invalid. Garcia ruled that while some lease agreements had been violated, the sale contract must be honored. Powers said he always intended the Key Largo site to serve as a rehabilitation center for stranded dolphins or small whales, but that he was concerned about MMC’s direction after his friend and property agent, dolphin rescuer Rick Trout, was forced out. Lingenfelser declined to discuss details of financing for the purchase. “That’s nobody’s business but ours,” he said. Read more »
Castaway, a deaf bottlenose dolphin who was recently moved from the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo to Dolphins Plus, a multi-dolphin facility in Key Largo, is reportedly doing well in her new environment. According to Dolphins Plus curator Art Cooper, Castaway has shown more interest in taking her meals and interacting with staff, and on Wednesday swam voluntarily to the platform where she receives her meals and medical attention for the first time.
“She voluntarily swims up to the platform that we lower about 3 feet into the water,” Cooper said. “That’s where we do the medical procedures with her, but she also likes to swim there to be rubbed down by staff.” Castaway, who is completely deaf and sees out of only one eye, stranded herself near Fort Pierce in November. She garnered national attention in June after giving birth to a calf, Wilson, who died five days after birth.
Federal fisheries authorities wanted Castaway moved out of the Marine Mammal Conservancy since they had determined she was no longer rehabilitating, and on July 25 was sent three miles south to Dolphins Plus, where she is housed in a saltwater pen with two other female dolphins. Dolphins Plus is a dolphin-encounter facility. Cooper said Dolphins Plus would continue to give positive reinforcement to Castaway as she adjusts to her new environment.
Written by PP Rega
Castaway, a deaf bottlenose dolphin who was recently moved from the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo to Dolphins Plus, a multi-dolphin facility in Key Largo, is reportedly doing well in her new environment. According to Dolphins Plus curator Art Cooper, Castaway has shown more interest in taking her meals and interacting with staff, and on Wednesday swam voluntarily to the platform where she receives her meals and medical attention for the first time.