MARATHON, Fla. – An ongoing brush fire in southern Miami-Dade County led to delays in an injured manatee getting treatment at a rehabilitation hospital, according to the group that rescued it Thursday in Marathon.
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According to the Dolphin Research Center, the 9-foot male manatee was found in the Coco Plum area “suffering from a pneumothorax condition likely caused by a boat strike.”
“Pneumothorax is where air accumulates in the space between the lung and chest wall causing the animal to become positively buoyant, preventing them from being able to stay submerged,” a news release from the group states. “This condition is critical due to the risk of the lungs collapsing and becoming fatal.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would typically take the injured marine mammal north to a rehabilitation facility in central Florida, the news release states.
However, Thursday’s fire-related closures of U.S. 1 and Card Sound Road, the only ways in and out of the Florida Keys, kept the manatee south.
“The manatee will be held and stabilized at Dolphin Research Center with Dolphin Research Center’s expert veterinary and medical team until transport becomes possible,” the news release states.
Anyone who sees a distressed manatee is asked to call FWC at 1-888-404-3922 and to stay away from the animals.