Florida wildlife officials rescue distressed manatee calf near downtown Bradenton

Ryan Callihan
·2 min read

State wildlife staff and volunteers rescued a distressed manatee calf in Bradenton Thursday afternoon.

Over a dozen people responded to the Wares Creek neighborhood just south of Manatee Avenue near downtown Bradenton after a caller reported a young manatee that had been separated from its mother. The manatee was taken to ZooTampa at Lowry Park, one of Florida’s manatee rehabilitation centers.

Around 1 p.m., rescuers entered the waterway to place netting. Using a boat and a kayak, the team corralled the calf into a roped-in area before lifting the calf out of the creek around 3 p.m.

Thursday’s manatee rescue in Bradenton was the crew’s fourth rescue of the day, according to Andy Garrett, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s manatee rescue coordinator. He said one manatee was rescued in Tampa and another two other manatees were rescued in St. Petersburg.

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“It’s been a busy day,” Garrett said.

FWC was joined by volunteers and staff from Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigations Program, ZooTampa and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.

Recent changes in the temperature have led to increased reports of manatees suffering from cold stress, which is more common during the winter months, Garrett explained. According to an FWC webpage on manatee rescue, manatees suffering from cold stress may have bleached skin, visible scars or a heavy barnacle load.

Cold stress can also affect a manatee’s body heat and their ability to digest food, according to FWC. Left untreated, cold stress can be fatal.

Manatees are mammals that prefer to swim in water warmer than 68 degrees. The Manatee River’s water temperature was 62 degrees on Thursday, according to Tides4Fishing.com.

The manatee is expected to receive treatment at ZooTampa before being transferred to a secondary care facility. If and when the manatee returns to health, it will be released back into the wild.

Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.
Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine’s Stranding Investigation Program and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature rescued a manatee calf suffering from cold stress in Wares Creek in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon.

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