Happy Moms Day, Ms. Manatee

No, manatees don’t celebrate Mothers Day. But the timing of a rescue of a pregnant sea cow near Siesta Key last weekend was coincidental enough to make even a cynic smile.

Sarasota Police and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium teams, along with other state and local agencies, rescued a struggling and injured female manatee near  Harbor Towers Yacht & Racquet Club on Siesta Key on Saturday, the day before Mothers Day. The 1,700-pound animal gave birth on May 12 at Sea World in Orlando.

“These are the good days. When all of our partners come together, from our city, county, and state law enforcement officers, to the FWC stranding biologists that led the rescue, to the SeaWorld Orlando team now caring for her and her calf, it is our stranding network at its finest,” said Gretchen Lovewell, Manager of Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program.