MANATEE RESCUE TEAMS SAVE INJURED SEA COW IN MARATHON

Rescue crews and volunteers work against the clock to remove the manatee from a grass flat with waning daylight. JOSIE NORGREN/Contributed.

Thanks to a collaborative effort and swift action by five partner organizations in a race against the sun, a critically wounded manatee is on his way to recovery.

Originally stranded on grass flats south of 63rd Street Ocean in Marathon after suffering severe lacerations to the head consistent with a propeller strike, the 10-foot, 1,025-pound male manatee was found and reported on the evening of April 19 by the Weston and Christianson families vacationing in the area. 

Crews from Dolphin Research Center and Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters’ manatee rescue teams arrived to assess and assist the injured sea cow under the guidance of DRC veterinarian Dr. Scott Gearhart. After loading the manatee onto a foam pad and specially designed stretcher to remove him from the grass flat, FWC law enforcement officers and rescue crew members gently towed the injured manatee to Sombrero Beach. 

The crew was able to successfully remove the manatee from the water and transfer him to a stranding ambulance provided by Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder. The ambulance then rendezvoused with FWC’s manatee rescue team in Islamorada and transferred the manatee for transport up to Sea World Orlando, where he arrived at 3:30 a.m. 

Initial imaging at SeaWorld revealed a skull fracture, and though the facility’s veterinary teams removed some fragments of bone, the injury did not appear to penetrate the animal’s brain case. As of press time, veterinarians remain cautiously optimistic that the manatee will make a full recovery and will eventually be a candidate for release. He continues to receive antibiotics and nutritional support as SeaWorld’s rehab teams monitor him closely.

SeaWorld is one of the only facilities able to accept injured manatees due to the large influx of starving animals throughout an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event. 

The expedited rescue was the direct result of a proper report of injured wildlife by the Weston and Christianson families. All reports of injured manatees should be directed to 888-404-FWCC.

Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.