Manatee rescued on Galt Island
Last Monday afternoon Don and Peg Riley noticed a wounded manatee in Airport Canal behind their house on Galt Island Avenue.
“I could see a large slash across his back,” Don Riley said. “The wound appeared to be white or gray.” Don called Manatee rescue.
The Manatee Rescue vehicle arrived in about an hour. “They used our boat ramp to get him out of the water. It took six or eight people to make a sling and lift him out of the water and get him to the truck. It’s quite an operation.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife identified the manatee as a female, 229 cm long and 231 kg. “She had watercraft related injuries that resulted in air leaking into her chest cavity,” research associate Denise Boyd said. “She was just brought in yesterday and is undergoing further diagnosis.”
Every year many manatees are killed or injured by watercraft collisions. A pink or red wound indicates a fresh wound but if the wound is white or grayish the wound may have healed. The wounded manatee may still have internal injuries though.
If you spot a wounded or sick manatee call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), *FWC or #FWC on your cellular phone or send a text message to Tip@MyFWC.com. You can also use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. Give dispatchers the exact location of the manatee.
See more at: savethemanatee.org.