2 to 3-week-old Manatee Calf Rescued!

A two to three-week-old stranded manatee was rescued over the weekend. Manatee conservationist Jamal Galvez says that he was called out to the Belize River in an area in Lake Independence in Belize City where they found the calf wandering. According to Galvez, it appears that the calf got separated from its mother which was likely caused by boating or other human activities. The calf is now safe at a rehab facility in the north and it is expected to make a full recovery. It will be released into the wild until two years time. Today, Galvez shared more about the rescue.

Jamal Galvez

Jamal Galvez, Program Coordinator, Clearwater Marine Research Institute

“We saw this young calf on the shoreline near the BelCan Bridge area behind the flour mill. It was just splashing around and we looked to see if there is another manatee that could be the mother of the calf but after doing so we realized the animal was alone and in need of assistance because of its size and approximate age it shouldn’t be there by itself. We sprung into action and rescued the little calf and head on transport it to wild tracks at the rehab center where it is currently rehabbing and will probably be there for a year or two until the animal becomes a certain size and weight to be released back into the wild. From my first assessment it didn’t seem to have any physical issues other than some minor scratches from thrashing in the mangrove. It was very dehydrated which you could have seen from the video of its folded stomach. That is not normal for manatees because they are usually fully rounded and full up. So, we administered some pedialite to address the dehydration along the way. Now it is in the capable hands of the Wild Track. It is estimated to be around two to three weeks old, forty one pounds and one hundred and fifteen centimeters. So, it is a very small calf and underweight for its size and age. It is currently showing good signs and we are very encouraged that this animal will recover and the goal is to get it back into the wild.”

Galvez says that they are working on setting up a toll-free number for the public to report manatee related incidents.