A manatee and its calf were rescued in the Keys. Now, they’re heading to Miami for help
A combined team of volunteers, local aquarium staff and state wildlife officers rescued a manatee and her calf Wednesday afternoon in Key Largo.
The sea mammals were swimming near the Pilot House restaurant on the ocean side of Key Largo around mile marker 100 when bystanders noticed the mother’s pectoral flippers were badly tangled with fishing line, said Mary Stella with the Dolphin Research Center, an aquarium on Grassy Key that is often tasked with manatee rescue in the Keys.
A net was also wrapped around the mother’s left flipper, Stella said.
The animals were rounded up by Dolphin Research Center’s manatee rescue team, members of Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder’s team and officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The mother, and the calve, which is still dependent on mom, were taken to the Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key for treatment and rehabilitation.
