His mother died in a boat strike. Orphaned manatee is being cared for at Miami Seaquarium.
A female manatee was struck by a boat in the Florida Keys and died of her injuries over the weekend.
Rescuers from a marine mammal rescue group and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured her calf Sunday near an Islamorada marina so it can be properly cared for at the Miami Seaquarium.
The male manatee is estimated to be between 1 and 2 years old, said Mary Stella, spokeswoman for the Dolphin Research Center, a marine mammal nonprofit on Grassy Key that operates a manatee rescue team.
Someone spotted him and his mother Saturday, and the mother had obvious boat strike wounds, Stella said. The next day, rescuers spotted the calf alone by the Angler House Marina at mile marker 80.5 in Islamorada.
They surrounded him with a net and guided him toward shore. FWC staff drove the manatee to the Miami Seaquarium, where he was given the name Rhino, Stella said.
Rhino is between 6 and 7 feet feet long and weighs 475 pounds.
“With excellent care, the hope is that when he matures to a sufficient age, he will be able to be released back into Florida Keys waters,” Stella said.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 5:55 PM.
