Manatee on the Mend After Cape Cod Rescue

MYSTIC, CT — An exhausted manatee rescued in the nick of time on Cape Cod last week is on the mend as it makes its way back home to Florida. That 1,100-pound female manatee summered on the Cape, thrilling boaters and beachgoers who spotted her. Manatees' main habitat is Florida — nearly 1,400 miles south of Cape Cod — and they rarely travel so far north.

On Thursday, wildlife officials netted the manatee in Falmouth near Washburn Island. The timing of the rescue was key. Manatees often cannot survive in the water temperatures dips below 68 degrees. On Thursday, the water temperature in Falmouth was exactly 68 degrees.

Wildlife officials had been looking for the manatee for the last few weeks, concerned she wouldn't survive the return trip to Florida on her own.

The manatee was transported to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and appears to be recovering. There, she's enjoying an "endless supply of lettuce," officials said.

"We finally were able to rescue this wayward manatee from the cold water and provide it the care that it needs," said Katie Moore, program director for the International Fund For Animal Welfare, in a statement.

Moore thanked onlookers and local and federal officials for working together on the rescue.

After rehabiliation in Connecticut, the manatee is expected to be transported back to Florida.

Previous

• Manatee Spotted in Cape Cod Waters
• Another Manatee Sighting Off Cape Cod

Photo: Rescuers secure a manatee in Falmouth on Sept. 22, 2016. (Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare)