They say the best things come in small packages, and on a Thursday afternoon, Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program (SIP) team got one in the form of an adorable orphaned manatee calf! Mote’s team, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), rescued the manatee calf near Brohard Park in Venice on Aug. 26.
This manatee is the seventh manatee rescue Mote has made this summer. The little calf is a 44-pound female, and she was transported by the FWC to our friends at ZooTampa at Lowry Park for rehabilitation. Fortunately, she did not exhibit any symptoms of red tide poisoning, but she’s just a bit too small to be out on her own. We trust that the team at ZooTampa will take great care of her in the hopes of releasing her back into the environment in the future!
Since her rescue, the 44-pound calf has been reported to be doing well and ZooTampa’s team has already given her a name. Meet Piccolina!
If you see a manatee, another marine mammal or sea turtle in distress in Sarasota or Manatee counties, please call Mote’s 24/7 hotline at 888-345-2335. For other areas of Florida, please call FWC’s 24/7 hotline at 888-404-3922 instead. Do not try to perform the rescue yourself or push the animal back.
Learn more about MOTE’s Stranding Investigations Program at https://mote.org/research/program/stranding-investigations.
Text and photo courtesy of MOTE Marine Lab & Aquarium.