Manatee Rescued Off Cape Cod

Recently, locals around Sesuit Harbor Cape Cod, Massachusetts caught a glimpse of an unusual sea creature heading towards shore: a giant male manatee, weighing in around 800 to 1,000 pounds.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on October 15 2008

Recently, locals around Sesuit Harbor Cape Cod, Massachusetts caught a glimpse of an unusual sea creature heading towards shore: a giant male manatee, weighing in around 800 to 1,000 pounds.

The manatee, dubbed “Dennis,” had apparently gotten off course in the water, and ended up far north of his warm Florida home. Dennis’ wrong turn could be very dangerous for him: Manatees usually can’t survive in water colder than 60 degrees, and with cold weather settling into New England, his chances of remaining healthy dropped with every passing day.

Luckily, on Saturday, a group of rescuers managed to lure Dennis over towards their boat, and caught the manatee in a 320-foot-long net. After vets assessed the animal’s health and found him to be in good shape, Dennis was placed in a small water tank in the back of a van, where he made the 20-hour trip down to Sea World in Florida. He’ll be able to spend time rehabilitating there in a safe enclosure, and should eventually be released back into the open sea—though hopefully the Sea World staff will give him a GPS system to keep him from making another wrong turn next time around.

Filed under: Animals and Pets, General Interest,

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