Southpaw, a manatee rescued from a crab-trap entanglement near Titusville, is swimming at SeaWorld Orlando after veterinary surgeons amputated her right flipper.
FOX 35 reporter Esther Bower visited the rescue center and reported Wednesday that Southpaw is receiving medicine while specialists monitor her weight. Bower interviewed Titusville resident Terry Morse, who reported the entangled manatee, and SeaWorld senior zoological specialist Mallorie McCormack.
Morse spotted Southpaw struggling in the Indian River Lagoon in September and sent photos to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wildlife officers moved the manatee to SeaWorld Orlando for treatment. The line had severely damaged her right flipper, which could not be saved.
Southpaw’s release date is still open
Southpaw is moving smoothly through the water as she recovers. Her care team has not set a release date, and FWC will make the final decision about when she can return to coastal waters.
SeaWorld’s Orlando facility is one of five critical-care centers in the United States equipped for manatee rehabilitation. The five-acre rescue center can care for as many as 60 manatees at once.
Read FOX 35’s October 28 recovery report, WFTV’s September 11 report on the amputation and SeaWorld’s Rescue Center background.