SeaWorld Rescues Injured Manatee from Indian River

(May 21, 2014) Orlando, Fla. – The SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team rescued an injured manatee from the Indian River in Port St. John, Fla., near the FPL power plant. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) spotted the injured manatee last Wednesday (May 14, 2014) and had been monitoring it closely. FWC noticed that the manatee was not submerging under water and appeared to suffer from a watercraft hit.

The manatee, which is believed to be eight feet in length and weigh almost 800 pounds, was transported by FWC to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, for rehabilitation and care.

So far in 2014, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued six manatees and returned six. This is the 501st rescued manatee to be cared for at SeaWorld Orlando since the animal rescue program started in 1976. In collaboration with the government and other members of accredited stranding networks, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates one of the world’s most respected programs to rescue ill and injured marine animals, with the goal to rehabilitate and return to the ocean. SeaWorld animal experts have helped more than 23,000 animals in need - ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned - for more than four decades. 

As part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), SeaWorld Orlando is an acute care rehabilitation facility that provides life-saving medical care to rescued manatees.

The MRP is a cooperative group of non-profit, private, state, and federal entities who work together to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees.  Information about manatees currently being tracked is available at www.manateerescue.org. The endangered Florida manatee is at risk from both natural and man-made causes of injury and mortality. Exposure to red tide, cold stress, and disease are all natural problems that can affect manatees. Human-caused threats include boat strikes, crushing by flood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear

If you see an injured marine animal, you can help by calling the FWC hotline at 1(888) 404-3922 or by dialing *FWC on a cellular device.

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