Washington (OTL) – A manatee that was rescued in Massachusetts has died on the way back to Florida.
The wayward manatee was said to be very young, and was rescued on Saturday in the waters off of Dennis, Massachusetts.
It took three hours to capture Dennis from Sesuit Harbor. Dozens of marine mammal and wildlife experts helped placing the 1,000-pound manatee into an 18-foor moving van.
Manatees are large plant-eating aquatic mammals sometimes called sea cows. They have two flippers in front and a broad, spoon-shaped tail and are considered endangered. They normally live in waters off the coasts of Florida and Georgia, and an typical adult can grow to be about 10 feet long and 1,200 pounds.
A decision was made to rescue Dennis and drive him back to Florida. Workers were able to get him in a net and into a vehicle where they drove him non-stop to Florida, all the while trying to pump food and fluids into him and raise his body temperature. Dennis made most of the 27-hour trip but died as workers at Sea World tried to carry him to a rehabilitation tank.
The body temperature of the manatee was at 73 degrees, far below the normal 97.5 degrees.
Manatees are normally found in the warm waters off Florida and Georgia, and stop feeding if they get too cold.