Photo: Disney ParksA young female manatee is back in her natural Florida habitat after being rescued for a second time last year and moved temporarily to The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot in Walt Disney World for treatment.Walt Disney World Resort took in Plantaina the manatee for the second time last February after the animal lost weight following her first release into the wild,according to a Tuesday blog postfrom Scott Terrell, the director of animal & science operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.In the post, Terrell praised Disney cast members and theManatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnershipfor helping send Plantaina back home.“The level of passion and teamwork our cast members dedicate to all animals is inspiring, even for those only temporarily in our care like rescued manatees, which are an iconic species around Florida,” Terrell shared in his Tuesday blog post.Rescuers first took Plantaina into human care less than a week after the manatee was born near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Terrell. She was the smallest manatee ever rescued, weighing in at just 28 pounds at the time.The manatee returned to her habitat in February 2021 following “a successful initial rehab,” according to Terrell. However, she began losing weight and required a second rescue and rehabilitation stint shortly after her release.Now, after returning to “a healthy” weight of 680 pounds, Plantaina has been released into the wild for a second time, Terrell added. Rescuers released the manatee at a freshwater spring on the St. Johns River at Florida’s Blue Spring State Park, located about 50 miles northeast of Walt Disney World Resort.Disney Parks"I am so proud to work with a team of animal care experts who are passionately committed to the protection of manatees and their natural habitats," the director wrote. “With each successful release, we continue to work towards a brighter, more sustainable future where people, plants, and animals all have a thriving place to call home.“Six manatees have completed rehabilitation at Disney in the last year, per Terrell’s post. During rehabilitation, animal care experts at Disney provide “exceptional veterinary care” to ill or injured manatees in “a stable, controlled environment.““Once released, some manatees like Plantaina are assigned a satellite tracker that enables experts to continue to monitor the animal’s health, migration, and socialization with other manatees,” Terrell wrote.Manatee rescues are becoming more common in the Flordia area dueto a seagrass shortage that is starving manatees. To help, Terrell said the Disney Conservation Fund provided grants to more than 15 nonprofit organizations to help better understand the manatee population’s biology and habitat use, in addition to aiding in the restoration of seagrass and providing care for manatees.“It is very rewarding to see these funds helping animals right here in our own backyard,” the director wrote in his post.
Photo: Disney Parks
A young female manatee is back in her natural Florida habitat after being rescued for a second time last year and moved temporarily to The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot in Walt Disney World for treatment.Walt Disney World Resort took in Plantaina the manatee for the second time last February after the animal lost weight following her first release into the wild,according to a Tuesday blog postfrom Scott Terrell, the director of animal & science operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.In the post, Terrell praised Disney cast members and theManatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnershipfor helping send Plantaina back home.“The level of passion and teamwork our cast members dedicate to all animals is inspiring, even for those only temporarily in our care like rescued manatees, which are an iconic species around Florida,” Terrell shared in his Tuesday blog post.Rescuers first took Plantaina into human care less than a week after the manatee was born near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Terrell. She was the smallest manatee ever rescued, weighing in at just 28 pounds at the time.The manatee returned to her habitat in February 2021 following “a successful initial rehab,” according to Terrell. However, she began losing weight and required a second rescue and rehabilitation stint shortly after her release.Now, after returning to “a healthy” weight of 680 pounds, Plantaina has been released into the wild for a second time, Terrell added. Rescuers released the manatee at a freshwater spring on the St. Johns River at Florida’s Blue Spring State Park, located about 50 miles northeast of Walt Disney World Resort.Disney Parks"I am so proud to work with a team of animal care experts who are passionately committed to the protection of manatees and their natural habitats,” the director wrote. “With each successful release, we continue to work towards a brighter, more sustainable future where people, plants, and animals all have a thriving place to call home.“Six manatees have completed rehabilitation at Disney in the last year, per Terrell’s post. During rehabilitation, animal care experts at Disney provide “exceptional veterinary care” to ill or injured manatees in “a stable, controlled environment.““Once released, some manatees like Plantaina are assigned a satellite tracker that enables experts to continue to monitor the animal’s health, migration, and socialization with other manatees,” Terrell wrote.Manatee rescues are becoming more common in the Flordia area dueto a seagrass shortage that is starving manatees. To help, Terrell said the Disney Conservation Fund provided grants to more than 15 nonprofit organizations to help better understand the manatee population’s biology and habitat use, in addition to aiding in the restoration of seagrass and providing care for manatees.“It is very rewarding to see these funds helping animals right here in our own backyard,” the director wrote in his post.
A young female manatee is back in her natural Florida habitat after being rescued for a second time last year and moved temporarily to The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot in Walt Disney World for treatment.
Walt Disney World Resort took in Plantaina the manatee for the second time last February after the animal lost weight following her first release into the wild,according to a Tuesday blog postfrom Scott Terrell, the director of animal & science operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
In the post, Terrell praised Disney cast members and theManatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnershipfor helping send Plantaina back home.
“The level of passion and teamwork our cast members dedicate to all animals is inspiring, even for those only temporarily in our care like rescued manatees, which are an iconic species around Florida,” Terrell shared in his Tuesday blog post.
Rescuers first took Plantaina into human care less than a week after the manatee was born near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Terrell. She was the smallest manatee ever rescued, weighing in at just 28 pounds at the time.
The manatee returned to her habitat in February 2021 following “a successful initial rehab,” according to Terrell. However, she began losing weight and required a second rescue and rehabilitation stint shortly after her release.
Now, after returning to “a healthy” weight of 680 pounds, Plantaina has been released into the wild for a second time, Terrell added. Rescuers released the manatee at a freshwater spring on the St. Johns River at Florida’s Blue Spring State Park, located about 50 miles northeast of Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney Parks
“I am so proud to work with a team of animal care experts who are passionately committed to the protection of manatees and their natural habitats,” the director wrote. “With each successful release, we continue to work towards a brighter, more sustainable future where people, plants, and animals all have a thriving place to call home.”
Six manatees have completed rehabilitation at Disney in the last year, per Terrell’s post. During rehabilitation, animal care experts at Disney provide “exceptional veterinary care” to ill or injured manatees in “a stable, controlled environment.”
“Once released, some manatees like Plantaina are assigned a satellite tracker that enables experts to continue to monitor the animal’s health, migration, and socialization with other manatees,” Terrell wrote.
Manatee rescues are becoming more common in the Flordia area dueto a seagrass shortage that is starving manatees. To help, Terrell said the Disney Conservation Fund provided grants to more than 15 nonprofit organizations to help better understand the manatee population’s biology and habitat use, in addition to aiding in the restoration of seagrass and providing care for manatees.
“It is very rewarding to see these funds helping animals right here in our own backyard,” the director wrote in his post.
source: people.com
