Third Manatee Rescued from Chilly Jacksonville Waters

A third manatee rescued from waters near Jacksonville is now getting care from SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team. Brought to SeaWorld Sunday afternoon by FWC (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission), the manatee joins two others rescued just last week. The manatee is a male, weighing 425 lbs. Yesterday, SeaWorld vets performed health checks on all three manatees. The health checks included x-rays, blood tests and antibiotics. 

All three manatees show signs of “cold stress,” the result of cooler water temperatures. Manatees can become cold stressed when their waters are colder than 68 degrees.

As soon as the manatee arrived at SeaWorld Sunday afternoon, it was given a brief physical exam and fluids, and a blood sample was taken. Antibiotics also were given to treat possible infection.  The Animal Rescue Team will continue to give all three manatees around-the-clock attention, including close observation and nutritional support. 

So far this year, the SeaWorld Orlando Team has rescued 11 manatees and returned nine.

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 the animals to the wild. SeaWorld animal experts have helped more than 24,000 animals in need - ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned - for more than five decades. To learn more, visit www.SeaWorldCares.com.  

As part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), the 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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