Manatee rescued from pond after Hurricane Helene storm surge left it stranded

DIXIE COUNTY, Fla.– Since hurricanes Helene And Milton hit Florida in September and October, wildlife rehabilitation experts worked hard to help animals stranded or injured by the storms.

A notable rescue recently occurred in the Big Bend region of Florida, when a 2-year-old manatee was found 1.5 miles from open water in a small pond near the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area in Dixie County, according to a ZooTampa Facebook post about salvation.

The manatee, now named Gully, was found by a hunter and other people who called the manatee Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), according to Sandra Morrison, director of communications at ZooTampa.

Morrison said Gully most likely hit the area after Hurricane Helene brought a severe storm surge to Florida’s Big Bend.

Florida manatees rescued after being stranded on land by Hurricane Helene

ZooTampa is working with the FWC to rehabilitate sick, injured or stranded manatees called in by citizens, Morrison said.

Together, ZooTampa and FWC helped rescue Gully from the pond and relocate him to ZooTampa, where he is now recovering at their Manatee Critical Care Center.

Gully was physically unharmed, but a lack of food sources from his remote location left him thin and in need of nourishment.

“He is tube fed twice a day and he is starting to show some interest in food,” Morrison said.

According to the FWC website, manatees are aquatic herbivores and eat seagrass and other aquatic plants. Morrison said a concerned citizen gave Gully lettuce until he was rescued.

“He’s doing better,” Morrison said.

She said Gully will be held at ZooTampa until the Manateee Care Team deems him healthy enough to be released back into Florida’s open waters.

ZooTampa’s post stated that without the involvement of concerned citizens, Gully’s rescue would not have been possible.

In addition to Gully’s rescue, the FWC has recovered a number of other manatees in recent weeks.

In a message to The manatee was taken to SeaWorld for care, the post said.

In another rescue after Hurricane Milton, the FWC said it rescued a female manatee from a residential canal/pond system. The manatee was taken to ZooTampa for rehabilitation.

If you encounter a manatee that appears to be sick, injured, dead, tagged, orphaned or in distress, report it to the FWC by calling the Wildlife Alert Hotline. For more information, click here.

Original article source: Manatee rescued from pond after Hurricane Helene storm surge left it stranded