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Manatee home after short stay in Brigantine
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Coast Guard rescues missing manatee
Ilya, a wandering Florida manatee who hovered in New Jersey waters this month, returned to the Sunshine State on Thursday. He even has a new friend.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine rescued the roaming sea cow from the warm discharge water of an oil refinery in Linden, Union County, on Tuesday - the group's first live manatee rescue. Ilya was first spotted by the refinery Oct. 15, then disappeared for several days before returning again Monday, said Chuck Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Using a large net and boats from the ConocoPhillips Bayway Refinery, several divers and technicians worked for seven hours trying to retrieve the 1,100-pound mammal. They were successful on the fourth try. The recovery, which involved about 40 people from the stranding center, government officials, refinery workers and veterinarians, was coordinated by the Fish and Wildlife Service's Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release Program.
The animal was transported to the stranding center's indoor heated holding pool, where it underwent initial care by veterinarians. Ilya took a ride in a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 cargo aircraft Thursday from Atlantic City to Miami, eventually arriving at the Miami Seaquarium.
Dr. Maya Rodriguez, a veterinarian at the Seaquarium, said Ilya was lucky because another rescued manatee was brought in Wednesday. The other sea cow, a 300-pound, 2-year-old female named Glade, appeared to be weak, thin and stuck in the Port Everglades of Fort Lauderdale.
"The minute we put (Ilya) in the water, they actually touched noses, and they're swimming together right now," Rodriguez said. "It's actually good for both of them. It's good for her because he'll teach her how to eat bigger food stuff. And it's good for him because he's been out there for a while and may not have seen any manatees."
Rodriguez said both manatees have been "very social" and that the staff is feeding them loads of lettuce, apples, bananas, sweet potatoes and biscuits for extra protein and vitamins.
The manatees eventually will be released into southeast Florida waters pending more weight gain and other diagnostic tests.
Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, said the rainy rescue was difficult because workers had to maneuver a 575-pound, 300-foot long net in the water by the refinery, which was surrounded by piling.
"That was a challenge in some right, to set a net in the sky," Schoelkopf said. "Every time he went under the net, we had to reload the boat and do it all over again."
The other tricky part, Schoelkopf said, was "netting it and wrestling it to the ground. Eleven-hundred pounds of marshy fun."
Schoelkopf said Ilya was in good shape when he reached the stranding center's heated indoor pool, and they fed him plenty of vegetables.
"Manatees eat about 100 pounds of food per day," Schoelkopf said. "Likewise, you can imagine what it puts out. It's a lot of work cleaning out the pool."
Ilya has been tracked by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 10 years. The sea cow spent the past several months along the mid-Atlantic and New England coastlines. During the summer, he was seen swimming as far north as Connecticut.
Wildlife officials were initially concerned that Ilya would not survive because manatees need to live in water of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Schoelkopf said the temperature by the oil refinery discharge was about 75 degrees and the temperatures of the surrounding water was as low as 53 degrees.
Underwood said manatee rescues are rare, and Ilya, who may have been spotted in Bayonne and Jersey City, was fortunate "to be in the right place at the right time." The only damage the animal suffered was some cold stress and damage around his nose.
"It surprised us. This animal has been in cold water in the 50s and 60s for two weeks," Underwood said. "Why this particular animal was able to tolerate that and be in good health, that's anyone's guess."
Contact Michelle Lee:
609-272-7256
More on manatees
For more information on manatees, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at www.fws.gov/northflorida/manatee/manatees.htm or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision at www.myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/Manatee_index.htm
For more information on what to do when you spot marine mammals or sea turtles in New Jersey, visit the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at www.mmsc.org or call 609-266-0538.
Posted in Breaking, New_jersey, Atlantic on Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:10 am Updated: 10:18 pm.
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