ORLANDO, Fla. -- This is McKenna Stratton’s first time in Sea World, and she’s absolutely fascinated by manatees.
She’s happy to hear SeaWorld is lending a hand when it comes to saving these endangered creatures.
- SeaWorld helped rescue manatee in Sanford
- 28 manatees on-site at SeaWorld
- Once Lake Monroe manatee cleared, he will be returned
“Oh my god look Mom he’s in the corner,” McKenna exclaimed while leaning over the water. “The manatees are really big, but they might look scary but they're really not. All they eat is lettuce.”
Earlier this week, SeaWorld helped rescue a manatee with Florida Fish and Wildlife over in Sanford.
Rescuers first thought the manatee had been hit by a boat. X-rays now show a foreign object, meaning this mammal most likely ate something it wasn't supposed to.
“There’s only 6,000 manatees left in the world — that’s it. So anything we can do to help protect them is our goal, is our goal,” said Kristy Unger the Senior Animal Care Specialist for SeaWorld’s Rescue Team. “They have no natural predators, but they are very susceptible to human interactions with boats, with pollution, habitat destruction. All of those things impact the lives of those animals.”
SeaWorld recently got two more of these manatees, making it about 28 of these animals on-site that are being taken care of.
When she grows up, McKenna said wants to become a veterinarian and possibly join the SeaWorld Rescue team to help keep more of these sea cows alive.
“I really want to help the animals that are sick or hurt,” she added. “I’ve always wanted to do surgery on an animal so that I can help it … to make sure that it will still live.”
Specialists say they’ve seen progress with the manatee rescued in Lake Monroe. For example, he is eating more.
Eventually when the manatee is medically cleared he will be returned to the area he was found.