Zoo treats 2 injured manatees

Both creatures, less than 2 years old, are recovering in a freshwater pool at the Lowry Park Zoo.

By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 14, 2002

TAMPA -- Officials at Lowry Park Zoo are working to save two young, injured manatees found this week in the waters off St. Petersburg.

The youngest, "De Soto," was found Sunday near Fort De Soto Park. The 8-month-old, 200-pound mammal had fresh wounds from a boat propeller and was in cold water, with no sign of a mother in sight.

On Thursday, rescuers found another young manatee near the Salvador Dali Museum about 4 p.m. They named him "Salvador."

He weighed 300 pounds, was about 12 to 18 months old and was suffering from cold stress, a condition similar to human frostbite that occurs in manatees when the water temperature drops below 60 degrees.

Both manatees are recovering in a heated, 16,500-gallon freshwater pool at the zoo, feeding on a natural diet of hydrilla and hyacinth, as well as other leafy green vegetables.

"They both seem to be doing okay," said zoo spokeswoman Heather Sitton. "I've seen them eating, which is a good sign."

Sitton said that to date, the zoo has cared for more than 100 manatees. Of those that survive longer than 48 hours, as many as 85 percent are treated successfully and returned to their natural habitats, she said.

Officials had no timetable on how long De Soto and Salvador might take to recover, but Sitton said saving them from the chilly waters was a victory in itself.

"We're just going to take it day by day and see how these guys do," she said.

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