FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — An injured mother manatee and her calf were rescued this week from a river in Florida and taken to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation, officials said.
Drone pilots provided the rescuers with an aerial view, guiding their boat toward the manatees on Wednesday, then buzzing overhead to document the animals being pulled from the Orange River near Fort Meyers.
Video shared by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows the boat carrying Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staffers first make a wide circle around the sea cows to corral them in what looks like a fishing net.
Eventually, half a dozen people are able to heave the thrashing manatees onto the boat, sliding the mother and calf up into the open stern and the slippery deck. Sea cows can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms).
The video shows at least one manatee later being offloaded in a sling at a boat ramp. The sheriff’s marine unit and advanced technology support unit assisted. Officials didn’t have details about how the mother manatee was injured or their current conditions.
The manatees were transported to SeaWorld Orlando, the wildlife agency’s Research Communications Director Kelly Richmond said.
The mother and calf are among at least six manatees rescued in the county since Feb. 19 because of cold stress, watercraft injuries and malnutrition. Statewide, at least 24 other manatees have been rescued this year, and more than 20 rehabilitated animals have been released through the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership.
The manatee mother and calf remained under close observation Friday at SeaWorld Orlando, where the team was focused on stabilizing the mother with supportive care, including hydration, Public Relations and Community Relations Director Stephanie Bechara said in an email to The Associated Press. Both were receiving antibiotics to help ward off and treat any possible infection, Bechara said, noting that it was still very early in the rehabilitation process.
Earlier this month, a manatee seeking warmer waters was rescued from a storm drain in Melbourne Beach.