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Thursday, October 26, 2006

Manatee Madness



What would you do, if you went to your favorite fishing spot? The one you visit on a regular basis. And reeled in something that looked like this? The other day this happened, to two local Memphis fisherman. They discovered a Manatee, in the Wolf river harbor. That's unusual to say the least. A Manatee has never been cited this far north before. Let's just be honest here. The day before yesterday, I didn't even know what a Manatee was. This thing was over 1000 lbs., and ugly to boot. Imagine casting your fishing line out, and reeling in something like this. Not only would I be shocked. I would be scared out of my socks.

A Manatee is a cross between a Walrus and a seal. They normally reside in waters between 60 and 65 degrees. The waters of the Mississippi river, is to cold for them. A Manatee rescue team, has been called in to save the animal. The mammal is okay to this point, but it's health is declining as we speak. A team from "Seaworld" in Florida, has been brought in to evacuate the mammal. I just hope everything works out.

7 comments:

  1. It didn't go down as planned.

    Experts still looking for the lost manatee

    Manatee Scheduled For Rescue 7:00AM Thursday
    Manatee caught between two barges
    Sea World arriving today to rescue manatee


    MEMPHIS -- The Memphis manatee was supposed to go home today, but to the surprise of Sea World, the 800 lb creature has disappeared.

    For the last four days the Manatee has been in Memphis swimming around Wolf River Harbor, and officials think the it swam 700 miles up the Mississippi from its original home in Florida. This morning dozens of people made their way down to the riverfront to get a glimpse of the animal and watch Sea World perform the rescue. Our own News Channel 3's Watchdog Mike Matthews has been down by the river all day and says officials tell him that "to find a manatee, you got to think like a manatee".

    Whether that's true or not, we don't know. Last night the manatee wedged himself between two barges and was swimming in a pool of water. But this morning, he was gone. Sea World and wildlife officials have searched the area where he was last seen as well as the Wolf River Harbor area. This afternoon they expanded the search to McKellar Lake and found no trace of the animal.

    They are now testing the water searching for the warmest spots. They tell us that the manatee will look for warm areas in the river and swim there. The rain also isn't helping as it's making it hard to spot the manatee from the air.

    Sea World tells News Channel 3 that what concerns them most is that the Mississippi has dropped 15 degrees in the last 5 days and is now only 60 degrees. That temperature is too cold for the manatee. They've never seen a manatee this far north. They tell us that the animal is probably experiencing hypothermia and as soon as they get him out of the water, they'll be wrapping him in blankets and heating him up with warmer water.

    Sea World has a 24 hour on-call rescue unit. They have taken part in 27 similar rescues this year.

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  2. Anonymous2:49 PM

    They might be back.

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  3. The two guys who spotted the Manatee, have launched a campaign. They are selling pictures for $200 a piece. They're giving half of the proceeds away. To needy children. If they sell anything.

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  4. Manatee found dead at Mckellar

    Residents spotted a manatee at the Wolf River Harbor in October. The manatee was found in McKellar Lake in southwest Memphis Monday afternoon.


    By Michael Erskine

    December 11, 2006
    An eight-foot manatee that made a surprise visit to Memphis in October, only to go missing for the last several weeks, has apparently been found dead.
    Lt. Ed Vidulich of the Memphis Police Department’s Harbor Patrol said Monday afternoon he was sending officers to the banks of McKellar Lake in southwest Memphis, where a dead manatee reportedly had been found.

    Vidulich did not know immediately who had spotted the dead animal, which was believed to be about 300 yards from the mouth of the Mississippi River.
    Vidulich said officers were planning to tie a rope around the animal’s tail so it won’t float away. Officials with the Memphis Zoo plan to retrieve the manatee’s body tomorrow and perform an autopsy, he said.

    The animal, a member of an endangered species that’s native to Coastal Florida, apparently had swum 736 miles up the Mississippi River to Memphis.

    It was spotted in late October and was watched and fed for three days while authorities awaited a team from SeaWorld Orlando to rescue it.

    The morning after their arrival, the manatee was not to be found, prompting a fruitless search of the Memphis waterfront.

    Vidulich said Monday the manatee was likely trying to return to warmer waters and made a wrong turn into McKellar Lake.

    "I just can’t believe that nobody has spotted this thing in six weeks," he said.

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