VIDEO: Crews worked to rescue a pregnant manatee in Sarasota over Mother’s Day Weekend!
FWC
Rescued manatee gives birth to healthy calf!
Over Mother’s Day weekend, FWC’s manatee rescue team along with partners, received a report of an excessively buoyant adult manatee with a watercraft wound near Siesta Key. The over 1600-pound female was taken to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation, where the examining veterinarian noticed a fetal heartbeat.
Today the injured manatee gave birth to a healthy calf! While the mother mom is still in critical care, she is stable.
Boaters can avoid close encounters with manatees by keeping a sharp watch and following posted speed limits in manatee zones. Manatees can be tough to spot – so wear polarized sunglasses, watch for the large tell-tale circles on the water that indicate manatees underwater and look for snouts sticking out of the water.
Please report dead or distressed marine mammals to our Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
Show your support with a Save The Manatee license plate: bit.ly/2FRfMJx
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Sarasota Police Department