Florida state biologists have found an orphan manatee calf.
Bbiologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute rescued the small female manatee calf from the Withlacoochee River in Yankeetown on Thursday, April 2.
The tiny calf is one of the smallest manatees ever rescued by the FWC Marine Mammal Stranding Team, measuring just over 3 feet in length and weighing only 50 pounds. Biologists rescued the manatee calf because there was no sign of her mother in the area. Since the calf is so young, she would not be able to survive on her own. She was taken to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, where she is receiving 24-hour care from the zoo’s manatee rehabilitation team.
The FWC Wildlife Alert hotline received the original report of the orphaned calf Thursday afternoon from a resident who lives on the river.
The United States Coast Guard assisted FWC biologists with the rescue.
To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
