Nature & Environment
SeaWorld Orlando Rescue Team Releases Four Manatees into Lagoon After Several Months of Treatment [VIDEO]
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Jul 20, 2013 08:09 AM EDT
A rescue team from SeaWorld Orlando released four female manatees into the Indian River Lagoon in Central Florida on July 18, after several months of medical rehabilitation.
'SeaWorld' is alive with some fascinating marine life. It houses manatees, sharks, penguins, dolphins, the tiniest starfish, and the famous shamu, the biggest star of the oceans. The sea park also focuses on the well being of the marine animals.
The four female manatees namely 'Braille', 'Pipsqueak', 'Nitty' and 'Asaka' were released into their natural environment after rehabilitation.
On Thursday morning at 10 a.m., two huge vans carrying two manatees each arrived at the Eddy Creek near Playalinda Beach and the four manatees weighing more than 400 pounds each were released in the south end of Mosquito Lagoon along the Canaveral National Seashore near the Kennedy Space Center. They were all released together, reports Florida Today.
The four manatees, which managed to slip into the water easily, were visible to the team for a good 20 minutes before they disappeared into the deep waters. Out of the four manatees, three were rescued last December after they were found ensnared in a mosquito impoundment in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. In March, Asaka was rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from the Indian River in Merritt Island, Florida, and was later shifted to SeaWorld Orlando, reports Space Coast Daily.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also rescued Nitty and Pipsqueak while The SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team rescued Braille. The three were later shifted to the SeaWorld facilities where they were under medical rehabilitation for several months.
Nitty was the largest of the four weighing 775 pounds and was being treated for mild cold and stress. She was 380 pounds at the time of her rescue. While Braille, who weighed 640 pounds, was also treated for mild cold and stress and the 575 pounds sub adult Pipsqueak was also treated for the same malady. Asaka had suffered propeller wounds.
SeaWorld Orlando has released a total of seven manatees this year and has successfully managed to rescue 13 manatees.
More than 22,000 animals have received medical treatment at SeaWorld where the experts help animals who are abandoned, injured, ill or orphaned.
"It's kind of a bittersweet thing. You've gotten this animal at death's doorstep and you actually got them healthy again. If we see them again, it means they are in trouble again. So we really don't want to see them again," said Ramos-Navarrete, who led the rehab effort at SeaWorld,
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First Posted: Jul 20, 2013 08:09 AM EDT
A rescue team from SeaWorld Orlando released four female manatees into the Indian River Lagoon in Central Florida on July 18, after several months of medical rehabilitation.
'SeaWorld' is alive with some fascinating marine life. It houses manatees, sharks, penguins, dolphins, the tiniest starfish, and the famous shamu, the biggest star of the oceans. The sea park also focuses on the well being of the marine animals.
The four female manatees namely 'Braille', 'Pipsqueak', 'Nitty' and 'Asaka' were released into their natural environment after rehabilitation.
On Thursday morning at 10 a.m., two huge vans carrying two manatees each arrived at the Eddy Creek near Playalinda Beach and the four manatees weighing more than 400 pounds each were released in the south end of Mosquito Lagoon along the Canaveral National Seashore near the Kennedy Space Center. They were all released together, reports Florida Today.
The four manatees, which managed to slip into the water easily, were visible to the team for a good 20 minutes before they disappeared into the deep waters. Out of the four manatees, three were rescued last December after they were found ensnared in a mosquito impoundment in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. In March, Asaka was rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from the Indian River in Merritt Island, Florida, and was later shifted to SeaWorld Orlando, reports Space Coast Daily.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also rescued Nitty and Pipsqueak while The SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team rescued Braille. The three were later shifted to the SeaWorld facilities where they were under medical rehabilitation for several months.
Nitty was the largest of the four weighing 775 pounds and was being treated for mild cold and stress. She was 380 pounds at the time of her rescue. While Braille, who weighed 640 pounds, was also treated for mild cold and stress and the 575 pounds sub adult Pipsqueak was also treated for the same malady. Asaka had suffered propeller wounds.
SeaWorld Orlando has released a total of seven manatees this year and has successfully managed to rescue 13 manatees.
More than 22,000 animals have received medical treatment at SeaWorld where the experts help animals who are abandoned, injured, ill or orphaned.
"It's kind of a bittersweet thing. You've gotten this animal at death's doorstep and you actually got them healthy again. If we see them again, it means they are in trouble again. So we really don't want to see them again," said Ramos-Navarrete, who led the rehab effort at SeaWorld,
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone