SeaWorld Orlando Rescue Team Cares for 800-Pound Pregnant Manatee

- Michelle Snow

SeaWorld Orlando Rescue Team Cares for 800-Pound Pregnant Manatee

The SeaWorld Orlando Rescue Team is now caring for an 800-pound pregnant manatee that arrived yesterday on a U.S. Coast Guard plane from Connecticut.

The manatee, named Washburn, was picked up in Nantucket Sound, but manatees are not native to Massachusetts and the water is too cold for them to survive.

SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue team partnered with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) to coordinate today’s move.

Washburn is SeaWorld’s 21st rescued manatee. Upon arrival, she immediately began to eat and swim in the rehabilitation pool. The manatee will receive expert care from SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team and veterinarians until she is ready to be returned to her natural Florida habitat.

Be sure to visit the Manatee Rehabilitation Area inside the park on your next visit to SeaWorld Orlando – you may even see Washburn there. Go to seaworldorlando.com for tickets and more information.

[Photo courtesy SeaWorld Orlando]

About Michelle Snow

Michelle is the owner and editor of CitySurfing Orlando. She also owns Zengrrl.com, is a freelance writer specializing in travel and entertainment, and has authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. She lives in Orlando near Disney, and hears Magic Kingdom fireworks every night.
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