Manatee rescued in eastern NC expected to make a full recovery

Nearly three weeks after she was found lethargic and malnourished in a drainage ditch off the Tar River near Greenville, a manatee who became the first of her species to be rescued in North Carolina could be returned to the wild in early ​​2025.

“Fingers are crossed that she’s on the road to a speedy recovery and a speedy return to her natural habitat,” said Brant Gabriel, curator of rescue operations at Sea World Orlandowhere the manatee is recovering, Wednesday

The nearly 9-foot, 855-pound female manatee was discovered miles up the Tar River from Pamlico Sound in mid-November. By then, manatees — also known as manatees — should be well underway on their migration back south toward Florida and its warm winter waters.

But for whatever reason, this manatee had delayed its return to the Sunshine State.

Although she was not injured, Gabriel said biologists were concerned the manatee would soon begin to suffer from cold stress as water and air temperatures began to drop as Thanksgiving approached.

A general rule of thumb is that manatees begin to experience cold stress syndrome, where their body functions may begin to shut down, when the water temperature drops below 68 degrees. The Tar River was averaging about 60 degrees when she was found to have swum up from Pamlico Sound and into the drainage channel near a sewage treatment plant, likely seeking heat from the plant’s discharged water.

“We were dealing with an animal that was in a very cold area with a cold front coming in,” Gabriel said. “So it was decided that we would give this animal an Uber lift south and get her through this cold front.”

Although she was dehydrated and malnourished, she began to eat a little during the trip down to SeaWorld in central Florida.

Gabriel said the manatee has continued to regain her appetite and her weight while in Orlando, and exams and blood tests have shown her to be fairly healthy and to bounce back quickly.

“She graduated pretty quickly from our intensive care unit and has been doing really well,” he said.

Next, it will be a few more weeks to regain her strength and weight, and then get a receipt from the biologists before she is released.

Oh, and receiving a name.

“We’re definitely going to give her one with a connection to North Carolina, but we have to check with the biologists to make sure we’re not duplicating one that’s already in our record system,” Gabriel said.

MANATEES ALONG THE NC COAST? Yes, and why it might become more common, even in November

Manatees, normally found around Florida, migrate along the East Coast in search of new feeding grounds and to escape Florida’s warm water temperatures in the summer.

Although still rare, manatees have always been found in North Carolina. Generally, manatees are seen floating along the state’s coastal waters and tributaries between April and late October. But it’s not unheard of for animals to be spotted in November, something that may become more common as climate change warms the planet.

The animals are extremely docile and are likely to be found near the surface in shallow water, and are very susceptible to being hit by boats – one of the reasons for their protected status. The animal, rescued near Greenville, had scars from a boat collision on its back.

Gabriel said nearly every manatee that comes through SeaWorld’s rescue center, which can be more than 60 animals a year, has scars from boat strikes on their backs.

“It just shows how common these incidents are,” he said, noting that the wounds on the North Carolina manatee were old and did not appear to have any major impact on her. “It’s something they deal with on a daily basis.”

According to US Fish and Wildlife ServiceThere are an estimated 8,400 manatees in Florida – a significant increase from the estimated 1,300 animals in 1991.

But the animals are still listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Along with boat strikes, loss of habitat along waterways to development and declining water quality, particularly algal blooms fueled by fertilizer runoff that can cloud the water and limit the growth of seagrass, the manatees’ favorite food, have depleted their numbers.

In North Carolina, manatee sightings are on the rise.

Dr. Michael Tift, director of UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Programsaid last month that nearly 100 sightings have been reported to his office just this year — a number that used to take more than a dozen years to reach.

He added that the public should report any sightings of manatees — alive, dead or injured — to officials because it allows researchers to determine where the manatees congregate and how many may be traveling through the state.

Because this manatee was found in North Carolina and there is a history of sightings of her traveling up the eastern seaboard, Gabriel said it is likely she will be released somewhere along Florida’s east coast. She could also be tagged so researchers can follow her migration path and track her behavior patterns.

But first she has to gain the weight she lost, and that could still take a few weeks — likely pushing any release date to late January at the earliest.

“They’re grazers, so it takes time to put weight back on,” Gabriel said. “But we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at [email protected] or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. USA TODAY Network retains full editorial control over the work.

This article originally appeared on the Wilmington StarNews: Manatee rescued in eastern NC expected to make a full recovery