Wildlife officials say a manatee calf is recuperating at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo after being rescued from Bayboro Harbor near St. Petersburg.
The calf, estimated to be about a month old, was spotted in the water Wednesday morning.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute spokesman Kevin Baxter says the calf likely suffered from cold stress. He told the Tampa Bay Times young manatees are especially susceptible to stress when water temperatures dip below 65 degrees.
Baxter says cold stress causes lesions on their bodies and causes manatees to surface rapidly to catch a breath. He says the calf was popping up every 15 seconds.
He says crews tried unsuccessfully to capture the calf's mother. The calf was put in a heated pool and will be fed by bottle.
