An orphaned baby manatee is in good hands at Zoo Tampa. The calf was found swimming alone off the coast of Southwest Florida and was rescued by FWC.
The 45 pound orphan was brought to Zoo Tampa where they have a Manatee Critical Care Center. “At that size he should have been seen with his mom and unfortunately she was nowhere to be found, and so it was deemed that he was needed to be rescued,” a keeper with ZooTampa said.
The baby manatee is being cared for and has to be bottle-fed around the clock. As the manatee grows, it will gain about a pound a day. The staff at Zoo Tampa believes that this baby will be at the zoo for a few years until it has grown enough to possibly be released back into the wild.
This little one will join another baby manatee that was rescued off the coast of Venice a few months ago.
Check out the video of the adorable baby manatee getting bottle-fed here.
[SOURCE Fox 13]
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