Photos: Rescued Manatees Returned to the Wild

The folks at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bid a fond farewell to two rescued manatees Wednesday.

Although the creatures, named Martide and Gilly, were rescued independently of each other, they were both nursed back to health at the Tampa nonprofit zoo’s Manatee Hospital and Aquatic Center. Since both were also deemed ready for release at roughly the same time, the two organizations hosted a double release Wednesday in Naples.

The first manatee rescued was a pregnant female that suffered boat-related injuries. She was brought to the Tampa manatee hospital in October.

“At release, she was 1,600 pounds and growing rounder with her pregnancy,” FWC wrote on its Facebook page.

See Also:

• Manatee Comforts Pooch Stranded in River
• Snooty the Manatee Death Rumors Debunked

The second critter is a juvenile male that was discovered in December suffering effects from red tide, the agency noted.

Lowry Park’s manatee hospital is a one-of-a-kind facility created to deliver critical care to sick, injured or orphaned wild manatees, its website states. The aim of the hospital is to nurse manatees back to health with an eye on eventual release, as was the case Wednesday.

“The need for these facilities grows more critical each year,” Lowry Park’s website states. “Colder winter weather and increased boater traffic mean that our maximum patient load is reached more often.”

The hospital opened in 1991 and has served about 300 manatees to date.

Donations are accepted online for those who wish to support the manatee hospital’s efforts. Just visit Lowry Park Zoo’s website for more information.

Photos courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Liz Barraco

Keep up with what’s happening around town and the state by signing up for the South Tampa-Hyde Park Patch newsletter!