Duck Key, FL… Dolphin Research Center’s Manatee Rescue Team (DRC), the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC), and Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, assisted by local residents, rescued an emaciated manatee today at Duck Key. The residents had earlier spotted the manatee and reported its condition to the FWCC who asked DRC to respond. After locating the animal in a canal, the rescue team surrounded it with a long net and pulled it up concrete dock steps to land. The male manatee was approximately eight feet long and so underweight that its rib cage was clearly visible below its skin. The rescuers first transferred the animal to a stretcher and then carried it to a FWCC transport truck. FWCC personnel then drove the manatee to SeaWorld in Orlando for further assessment and treatment. Its prognosis is unknown at this time.
Founded in 1984, Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit organization and is the licensed Manatee Rescue Team for the Florida Keys. Located at 58901 (mile marker 59) Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, Florida, the center is home to dolphins and sea lions and is open daily for the public to see narrated behavior sessions and educational presentations, and to participate in interactive programs. The center is funded by admission and program fees as well as by private donors and members. For more information, visit www.dolphins.org.
