Manatee Rescue! - Part 2 Location: Crystal River, Florida Day 4 by Karen Brown

And we are very happy to do just that! The scientists and volunteers here in Florida are very concerned about the health of their friends, the "gentle giants", the Florida manatees. They are worried that someday the manatees may become extinct. If that happens, it would be very sad because no one would be able to enjoy these friendly, harmless creatures ever again.

So whenever they find a sick or injured manatee they take it out of the water with a big net. Then the animal doctor and the other scientists treat it while it lays on the bottom of the boat. And then if they see that it is going to be OK they let it go back into the water. If the manatee needs more attention then they take it in a special truck to a place where it can get special care.

Today one manatee was so sick it had to go in the truck to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, FL. I saw them take it away. They gently placed it in the back of a manatee rescue truck and covered it with wet cotton bedspreads. They packed sheets of foam all around it so it was cushioned on all sides. This manatee was an adult male, 8-10 years old, and weighed about 900 pounds.

The other two manatees that the scientists captured and then released were a mother and her calf. The mother had some cuts on her back from a collision with a boat. Some of the cuts were still bloody and the doctor put some medicine on them. Since they had her on the boat anyway, I watched them measure her and check her over very carefully. They said that she was a healthy female who measured 281 centimeters.

Her baby, called a calf, is a male. He measures 209 centimeters. He is almost 2 years old and still feeds on his mother's milk. Very soon, though, he will learn to eat plants like all of the adult manatees. Then his mother will get pregnant again and 13 months later she will be back to the same place with a new calf.

The scientists will continue to learn more and more about manatees because they put a radio transmitter tag on the mother and her baby. (Actually, the mother got hers the day before, and the calf got his today.) Don't worry, the radio transmitter tag doesn't hurt them. It really helps all of us learn more about manatees so we can better understand how to protect them and keep them safe.

Well, I learned alot about manatees today and I hope you did too.

Manatee Fun Fact: Families in Florida have a special toll-free number they can call if they see a manatee with a tag on it. It really helps the scientists when people call to report the location of a tagged manatee.

Measuring the length of the calf. The instrument hanging down fromt the rescuer's neck is an ultrasonic device that scientists use to measure the thickness of the manatees' fat. Too little fat means the manatee is sick and not feeding well.

The propeller cuts on the mother's back are being treated with medicine.

Radio transmitter tag is secured around the mother's tail before she is released. (Her baby gets one, too.)

Dr. Mark Lowe takes a blood sample from the calf.

When the tests are completed, and the mother and calf are tagged, they are released.

After release the mother and her calf slowly swim away, training their tags behind. To make sure the mother and calf stay healthy scientist will future medical check-ups. These tags will help the scientists find them.

other expeditions  |  kids' page  | contact us