-
Elusive manatee rescued from strangulation
March 14, 1997
CORAL GABLES, FL Phill turned out to be Phillis a manatee who had eluded her would-be saviors for nearly two years. She was slowly being strangled by a piece of cord wrapped around her middle, as she grew in size the cord tightened threatening her life.
Manatees are known to be sluggish movers but Phyllis was fast enough to avoid capture since she was first sighted with the cord around her abdomen when she was a calf.
Sightings of Phyllis increased in the last few weeks, and her plight generated more publicity. In fact, a rescue attempt on Wednesday failed when onlookers and news helicopters converged on the area and Phyllis fled.
Biologists returned to the scene again Thursday and found Phyllis back frolicking with her herd. This time, they took advantage of the sea cow's fancy for lettuce and netted her.
About a dozen rescuers from Miami Seaquarium, the Florida Marine Patrol, and other agencies took part in getting Phyllis out of a canal in a ritzy Coral Gables neighborhood.
Veterinarians feared the cord, used to bind newspapers or shipping material, would have eventually squeezed 2-year-old Phyllis to death as she grew. There were already signs of infection as the cord cut into her skin.
Biologists on Thursday cornered the 360-pound manatee and removed the ring of cord that had somehow gotten wrapped around her body that's when they found out she was not a Phill but a Phyllis.
Greggory Bossart a veterinarian from the University of Miami who examined the now famous Phyllis said, "If we hadn't gotten her she certainly would have died this winter, this is what man is doing to the manatee, we're killing off the species.''
She was being held in a holding pool while tests were done on her. Eventually, she is to be released back into the wild if she's well enough.
The manatee is coming off a deadly year. Marine officials counted only 2,639 last year. A record of counting manatees began in the 1970s.
Unfortunately 415 died, also a record. Some of the causes are from an outbreak of "red tide,'' micro-organisms that emit toxins, is blamed for 151 of those deaths. Another major killer are the boats, as I have stressed on this site.
Last year alone 60 manatees are gone forever, struck by boats. Please navigate your boat slowly and be on the watch for signs posting a caution for our manatees.
