Meet Sorbet and Juneau. 2 new manatee rescues recover at The Bishop museum
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is welcoming two manatees into its care at the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat.
Sorbet and Juneau, the two young manatees, came from ZooTampa at Lowry Park’s hospital and are beginning secondary care at The Bishop Museum.
“The Museum is happy to receive Sorbet and Juneau into secondary care. Helping the manatees continue the rehabilitation process and freeing up critical care space at our hospitals are the reasons we are here,” said Virginia Edmonds, the museum’s director of animal care. “It is a privilege to be able to perform this work at The Bishop.”
In the meantime, visitors at The Bishop, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, can observe the two manatees as they recover over the next several months.
According to the museum, after initial hospitalization, manatees are either cleared to be released if they are adults, or begin secondary care if they are orphans. Because young manatees can miss crucial survival training when they are separated from their mothers, continued care is required for those rescued at a young age.
Both Sorbet and Juneau are orphans and were rescued in the winter.
Bishop gets new manatees for rehab
Sorbet is a 5-foot, 240-pound calf and was rescued from Crystal River in December. Juneau is 6 feet and 335 pounds and was rescued in St. Petersburg in January. Juneau was also diagnosed with cold stress syndrome, a condition that affects those in cold water for prolonged periods.
The Bishop is monitoring both manatees’ eating behaviors, and Juneau is “eating her way to a release goal weight of 600 pounds.”
“The arrival of new manatees to start their rehabilitation journey at The Bishop is always a very special time for the staff and visitors alike,” said Andrew Sandall, chief executive officer at The Bishop. “We look forward to watching their progress over the next few months and seeing their personalities come out as our incredible Animal Care Team works to get them ready for release, and back living in the wild where they belong.”
In the past six months, The Bishop successfully nursed three manatees back to health and released them back into Florida waters. Most recently, the museum released Mandalore, an orphaned calf rescued from Blue Springs in Orange City, back to the same area in February.
For more information, visit www.BishopScience.org.
