Happy news everyone!!
Monday night some people noticed a large female manatee was not floating properly and was barely moving. They called the state dept who called Sea World's 24 hr rescue team. They went out to the river where she was spotted only to discover that not only was she barely breathing but was in fact a mommy with a 2-3 week old baby beside her! They got both her and baby back to the rehabilitation area at Sea World. I've been checking on her every day after work since they arrived.
They put mommy in a kind of 'manatee life vest' to keep her floating upright while they tried to find out what was wrong with her. She was barely eating on Tues. Turns out she had an air pocket near her lungs, probably caused by a boat collision. They treated her and today when I went to see her she was swimming without the aid of the vest and was eating well. Baby is a healthy active boy and Sea World hopes to release her and baby back to the river they were found in as soon as the state dept gives the okay!

This is why I LOVE working at Sea World!!