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Orphaned Manatee Rescued Near Power Plant

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

The male manatee calf was taken to Lowry Park Zoo to be tended.

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By RAY REYES

rreyes@tampatrib.com

Published: March 17, 2009

The young manatee's mother was nowhere to be seen, and it didn't react when people in kayaks approached it.

Barnacles and algae had accumulated on the calf, which meant it had barely moved for days, said Andy Garrett, a marine biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

"It's been orphaned," Garret said. "It's an animal that should be with its mother."

The male calf, about 1 year old, was rescued today in a canal adjacent to Tampa Electric's Big Bend power station in Apollo Beach. The manatee was taken to Lowry Park Zoo for rehabilitation, Garrett said.

Veterinarians will give the animal fluids and feed it until it can eat on its own, Garrett said. When it regains its health, the manatee will be returned to its native habitat. The animal was first spotted in the canal by TECO workers Saturday, Garrett said.

It may have been separated from its mother and swam to the canal because it was taught to feed on the vegetation there, Garrett said. The calf is still at an age where it needs milk from its mother, he said.

In winter, manatees seek warmer waters and often go near power plants' discharge areas or warm water springs, according to the conservation commission. Most of the year, the animals may be found in fresh or salt water, preferring calmer rivers, estuaries, bays and canals around coastal Florida.

The Florida manatee population is at least 3,300.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.

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