HUNGRY MANATEE — One of the St. Croix manatees as it appears on a flyer issued Wednesday by Friends of the St. Croix National Parks depicting an emaciated manatee. (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the St. Croix National Parks.)
[ad name=”HTML-68″]CHRISTIANSTED — National Park Service (NPS) officials are asking boaters and snorkelers for help in finding two starving manatees.
The NPS and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, along with the Puerto Rico Manatee Rescue team were out on the water Wednesday searching for the two manatees.
A juvenile manatee was sighted at Buck Island Reef National Monument on Tuesday and is about four feet long.
The other manatee is six to eight-feet long and has been seen in Frederiksted.
The adult manatee in Frederiksted was seen south of Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility may have moved up to South Shore refinery area.
Officials feel the manatees got turned around by the storms and are seeking fresh water.
One of the manatees is emaciated and has taken 400 pounds off of its normal weight.
The search for the two manatees was talked about in dramatic fashion by “The Morning Disaster” co-host Web Fingers on WZIN-FM 104.3 “The Buzz” today.
Please report any sighting ASAP to:
Dr. Mignucci w/ManatiPR at (787) 399-1900
or Clayton Pollock w/NPS at (340) 226-4612
or Zandy Hillis-Starr w/ NPS at (340) 277-6932
“We appreciate all our friends help with this rescue,” the NPS and USFWS said.