On February 12, SeaWorld Rescue Team reported that an orphaned manatee previously rescued and rehabilitated in 2015 is back at SeaWorld Orlando, after teams were alerted to serious weight loss in the young male.
Orphaned and underweight, Buckeye was first in Daytona Beach in September 2015. He spent over two years with the SeaWorld animal care team and was then transferred to the Jacksonville Zoo as part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. He was fully recovered and returned to Blue Springs State Park in March 2018.
This second rescue was preemptive and allows SeaWorld veterinarians to run diagnostic testing on Buckeye and hopefully identify what is causing his weight loss.
In 2018, the SeaWorld Rescue team assisted with 72 manatees suffering various aliments such as cold stress, red tide, and entanglement. The SeaWorld Rescue team is available year round to give marine animals a second chance at life.
