Manatee rescued in Cape Cod Bay brought to Mystic Aquarium for care
Mystic — A Florida manatee rescued Thursday afternoon from Cape Cod Bay, following concerns over dipping temperatures, is being rehabilitated at Mystic Aquarium until she can be transported south, the aquarium said Friday.
The female manatee, which weighs about 800 pounds, was admitted to the aquarium Thursday evening and is "in stable condition and is eating and acclimating well to her current surroundings," the aquarium said in a news release.
“The animal will remain in our care for approximately 1-2 weeks; until she is deemed stable enough for transport,” Allison D. Tuttle, Mystic Aquarium’s vice president of biological programs, said in a statement. “Upon that determination, she will be flown to a more permanent rehabilitation center in Florida to fully recuperate before ultimately being released back into coastal waters."
The Florida manatee, an endangered animal, normally dwells in coastal waters of the southeastern region of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, the aquarium said in the release.
The rescued marine mammal is being rehabilitated in a 40-foot-diameter pool, filled with a few feet of water, at the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation Veterinary and Animal Health Center, said Janelle Schuh, stranding coordinator for the aquarium, in a phone interview.
The aquarium has the ability to cool and heat the pool, so the aquarium started by mimicking the temperature of the ocean and then can gradually warm the brackish water as the manatee becomes acclimated to her surroundings, she said.
The manatee will be fed each day a target of about 40 kilograms of leafy greens, such as romaine lettuce and spinach — an amount of food based on her weight — so she can gain strength for transport, Schuh said. A garden hose over the pool provides a fresh source of water for the manatee to drink.
This is the first manatee the aquarium has taken in for rehabilitation, Schuh said.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare rescued the manatee — which had been first spotted in Massachusetts last month — from Cape Cod Bay in Falmouth, Mass., the aquarium said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted a special permit for the rescue.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
