The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday (October 18) transported a pregnant manatee rescued from Massachusetts waters to SeaWorld in Florida for the further rehabilitation.
A U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry air crew from Air Station Cape Cod safely delivered the animal from a temporary location, the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where she had spent some time after her rescue.
The 800-pound pregnant manatee was rescued from the cold waters of Falmouth, Massachusetts by staff at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), CBS reported.
IFAW staff told the local media that the manatee, which accidentally made it’s way to the coast off of Massachusetts, could not survive waters below 67 degrees and that she was rescued before water temperatures dropped further.
The whiskered and wrinkled sea cow, a beloved state symbol in Florida, has a large tubular body, flippers and paddle-shaped tail. It is related the African and Amazon species and to the dugong of Australia. It grows to be about 10 feet long (3 meters) and more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). — (REUTERS)
