MASHPEE, MASS. (WHDH) – A manatee was spotted at the New Seabury Marina and some residents.
Some residents believed it was a seal, but they looked again and realized it was in fact a manatee, right here in New England!
“I am very blessed,” said Jennifer Sullivan. “It’s the highlight of my summer!”
A summer surprise for Sullivan. It’s not a seal, but a sea cow, yes.
“It was as long as a paddle board and probably as wide, and it looked like it had been a big mark on its back the poor thing it must have been hit by a boat,” Sullivan said.
While an amazing site, Sullivan was concerned for the enormous animal.
“I was so worried and thought ‘where are its friends’ and ‘how did it take so many wrong turns from Florida to get all the way here,’” Sullivan said.
Mass Wildlife and the International Fund for Animal Welfare are working together to track the animal down.
“It’s clearly not doing well and it also looks a little thin, and think it’s inevitable that this animal needs a rescue,” Erin Burke said, Mass Wildlife Protected Species Program Manager. “Hoping to jump on it if it showed up in a marina, you know, try to get to it quickly and initiate the rescue before it dies or is stranded somewhere else.”
According to wildlife experts, manatees struggle in the cold waters of New England.
“There isn’t a ton for them to eat here. There are mangroves. So often they end up staying too long and needing to be rescued,” said Burke.
Back in 2016, this manatee was rescued from an inlet on Cape Cod. It was brought to a rehab aquarium in Connecticut.
Now, the hope is the manatee will get the help experts and residents think it needs.
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