Manatee in distress rescued from Lighthouse Point waterway


Corp. Chris Merk and Officer Cynthia Weiner aboard the FWC vessel that rescued a manatee in distress last week. [Courtesy]

By Judy Wilson | Associate Editor

Lighthouse Point – Police officers from this city aided an effort to rescue a manatee in a local waterway suffering from weight loss and cold stress.

Officer Cynthia Weiner and Corp. Chris Merk answered the call when conservationists at the Florida Waterway Commission called the Lighthouse Point Police Department asking for assistance. The manatee was spotted in the canal off Lighthouse Drive around 29th Street.

Weiner said she had seen what she thinks is the same manatee back in February “and he looked fine then.” But on March 25, the animal looked lethargic and its skin was peeling off.

The injured manatee looked unresponsive in the Lighthouse Point waterway. [Courtesy]

With help from the Broward Sheriff Office Marine Unit, Weiner and Merk hauled the netted manatee aboard the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) rescue boat where it was transported to Alsdorf Park in Pompano Beach. Then it was put into an especially equipped rescue truck for the trip to SeaWorld in Orlando for testing and, hopefully, rehabilitation.

This week, Weiner said she understands the manatee made it to SeaWorld, but at press time she had not been able to get more information. Calls to the FWC were not returned. The FWC does not name rescued animals until it is certain they will survive, Weiner said, but on a whim she called this one Harry. “The name just came out of the blue,” she said. Afterward she remembered she had a grandfather named Harry.

November is Manatee Awareness Month, but March 29 was Manatee Appreciation Day, good timing for those involved in this rescue. Generally, manatees need water temperatures of 68 degrees to survive and are attracted to warm springs such as those in Central Florida. But on this coast, there are habitats at Merritt Island, Riviera Beach, and Port Salerno. Hot spots in the Intracoastal Waterway, such as discharge from FPL stations, attract them too.

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