SeaWorld Returns Two Manatees To Brevard Waters
By Space Coast Daily // March 11, 2015
injured manatees released in merritt island
ABOVE VIDEO: On Tuesday, SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Sea to Shore Alliance (Sea2Shore) donned life vests and jumped aboard SeaWorld’s rescue boat to return two rehabilitated manatees to the waterways near Merritt Island.
BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – On Tuesday, SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Sea to Shore Alliance (Sea2Shore) donned life vests and jumped aboard SeaWorld’s rescue boat to return two rehabilitated manatees to the waterways near Merritt Island.
The two manatees, Clay weighing in at 805 pounds and Stokes a 600-pound manatee, were rescued by SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team this past December during harsh weather conditions causing each manatee to suffer from a condition known as cold-stressed.
• Stokes was rescued from the St. Johns River near Jacksonville on December 5.
• Clay was rescued 300 miles from SeaWorld in Savannah, Georgia on the Savannah River December 15.
Once in SeaWorld’s care, both manatees received a full heath examination, fluids for dehydration and were provided with antibiotics to treat possible infection.
With the 24-hour care these manatees received and warmer weather on the horizon, these manatees were deemed ready for return.
This year alone, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued 24 manatees and returned 22 manatees back to their natural environments.
In collaboration with government agencies and 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 24,000 animals in need – ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned – for more than five 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.
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.
