Manatee rescued from Palm Harbor after Hurricane Idalia recovering at ZooTampa

TAMPA, Fla. - ZooTampa's youngest marine resident is a rescue case from Palm Harbor in Pinellas County.

"Sabal is an orphaned calf that came in a few weeks ago," shared Hannah Walsh. 

She is a stranding expert in the Zoo's Animal Care facility. " She came in a day or two after Hurricane Idalia, so we're not exactly sure what happened to mom after the hurricane," Walsh said. 

Different parts of Pinellas County experienced storm surges from four to seven feet due to the hurricane. 

That high water was only made worse by a record high tide due to a full moon.

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"We do see a lot of entrapment case rescues after hurricanes," admitted Walsh, "Manatees get stuck in areas they shouldn't be from that high storm surge coming in."

Sabal's case was a little different because she got stuck somewhere, but her mother was able to escape.

"They somehow got separated from mom," said Walsh, "She came in very, very small." 

After the rescue, the Animal Care specialists take on a new role of nurse and surrogate mother.

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"We are bottle-feeding her. She gets multiple bottles a day to put on that weight," shared Walsh, "(Baby manatees) should grow about a pound a day."

That means a lot of hands-on constant care and feeding.

"She was rescued and brought here and she'll be here until she is about 600 pounds," said Walsh, "A nice and healthy size before we can release her."

The most important part of the rescue isn't just saving the life but safeguarding it to contribute to the preservation of the species.

"Our Goal is to get these manatees back into the wild," stated Walsh.

To learn more about ZooTampa and plan a visit to see the manatees in their care visit click here. 

To support that veterinarian care and their conservation efforts happening at ZooTampa click here.