Filed at November 11, 2009 under Animals and Mammal and Manatee and Florida Keys and Upper Keys by Keys
Emaciated calf found next to dead mother.
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.
By DAVID BALL
dball@keysreporter.com
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Filed at August 2, 2009 under Florida Keys and Upper Keys and Key Largo and Animals and Mammal and Manatee by Keys
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).
For more information on manatee research, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/manatee.
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Filed at May 3, 2009 under Florida Keys and Florida Keys and Upper Keys and Key Largo and Animals and Mammal and Manatee by Keys
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.
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