Three rescued manatees rehabilitated at SeaWorld Orlando were released back into a canal in the Florida Keys on Tuesday.
The manatees were rescued in April, June, and July, respectively, with their medical conditions ranging from “a boat strike that caused a skull fracture, severe emaciation and gastric issues, dehydration and inflammation,” according to the Florida Keys News Bureau.
Each manatee–measuring as long as 11 feet–was rescued and transferred to SeaWorld Orlando by personnel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Dolphin Research Center, and Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters.
The sea mammals were nursed back to full health by specialists at SeaWorld, with treatment ranging from removing bone fragments to being provided antibiotics and nutritional support.
A 1,295-pound rehabilitated male manatee with healed head wounds rests before being released back to Florida Keys waters, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, in Key Colony Beach, Fla. The adult male, measuring nearly 11 feet long, was rescued in April 2022 after a boat strike that caused propeller wounds across its head. The marine mammal was released with two other rehabilitated manatees Tuesday in the Florida Keys. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Dr. Scott Gearhart, medical director at the Dolphin Research Centre, who was involved in the rescue, was ecstatic about the rehabilitated manatees returning to their natural habitat Tuesday.
“Three animals in the same day … there’s nothing better,” Gearhart told the Florida Keys News Bureau. “To take in an animal that needs your help and to see them released is fantastic … all three of them.”
In recent weeks, conservationists have been calling for the species to be returned to the endangered list. Manatees were on the endangered list in 1973 but taken off in 2017. However, some conservationists believe it was premature to take them off.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service now has the opportunity to correct its mistake and protect these desperately imperiled animals,” Ragan Whitlock, attorney for the Florida-based Center for Biological Diversity, per the Associated Press.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 749 manatees have been killed this year, while 1,027 were killed last year.
The current Florida manatee population is currently at a minimum of 7,520 animals.
(L to R) Todd Weston, Rockie Weston, Zeiss Weston and Josie Norgren pose for a photo with a rehabilitated adult male manatee before its release back to Florida Keys waters, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, in Key Colony Beach, Fla. The family helped marine mammal rescuers recover the manatee off the Keys’ Sombrero Beach in April 2022, suffering from propeller wounds to its head and a skull fracture caused by a boat strike. The manatee and two others, also rehabilitated, were released Tuesday in the Florida Keys. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Among the reasons for the high mortality rate for manatees include boat strikes, being entailed in fishing equipment, natural issues, and even some showing signs of starvation, ClickOrlando.com noted.
“We share the waterways with these animals,” said Gearhart, who cautioned Floridians to be cautious while boating.
“They’re very slow moving and they get into stuff, and you really need to be careful about what your activity is on the water,” he added.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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