Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsBY NOAH COHEN
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
The manatee stranded for two weeks in the icy waters off a Linden oil refinery has been rescued and is in good condition at a Miami aquarium awaiting release in warmer South Florida waters.
Ilya, the adult male manatee, was rescued Tuesday near the ConocoPhillips Bayway Refinery by wildlife officials and refinery workers. Veterinarians at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine examined the animal before it was cleared to fly from Atlantic City to Miami on a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 transport plane, officials said.
After a brief ride in the back of truck on Interstate 95, the manatee was safe in a pool of warm water at the Miami Seaquarium. Ilya blinked and snorted softly before officials slid the animal into his temporary home.
"It ate probably 20 minutes after we put it in the pool," said Robert Rose, Seaquarium's curator.Rose said he was surprised at how healthy Ilya was after being stranded in waters as cold as 50 degrees. Manatees can usually tolerate temperatures as low as 68 degrees but any lower and hypothermia can kill the animal.
"There's nothing wrong with this animal except he took a wrong turn," Rose said.
One theory on Ilya's northern trek is he could have been looking for a new habitat as the Florida manatee population grows, according to Rose.
Experts said he might have been drawn to the warmer water coming from the refinery as a cold front hit the region.
Ilya will stay at the Seaquarium until wildlife officials schedule him for release, said Charles Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Jacksonville, Fla.
"We like to get them back out as early as possible," Underwood said.
An exact release was unclear but could come this year or within a few weeks.
Ilya's rescue in Linden was no simple task with more than ten experts from Florida and New Jersey helping to coral the 10-foot-long, 1,100-pound sea cow.
"He's a big manatee," Rose said.
Dozens of ConocoPhillips employees helped using boats, a crane and providing coffee and food to rescuers, the Star-Ledger reported. A call from a refinery employee prompted Tuesday's search.
It took rescuers four tries before Ilya was caught in a large net and his trip home began.
Rose said Ilya was identified based on unique scarring on his tail.
Some manatees are tracked using satellites but it was unlikely Ilya would be tracked because he is familiar with the South Florida waters, said Underwood, the federal wildlife agency spokesman.
The rescue was a collaborative effort of New Jersey, Florida and federal wildlife services, the Coast Guard and local rescue groups, Rose said.
A rescue is not necessarily a deterrent for the animal and Rose said manatee rescue season was just beginning with cold weather setting in.
For more information about Ilya's new home, click here.
For more information about New Jersey's manatee rescue efforts, click here.
