Eric, a good friend of DiveSpots, volunteers with MARS, the Marine Animal Rescue Society.  He was recently called upon to help with an injured Manatee spotted in the canals around the Calusa campground near Mile Marker 102 in Key Largo.  Eric shared this story and photos of this successful rescue.

Eric's Account:

"The FFWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) received a call Tuesday, February 21st, of an injured manatee in the canals around Calusa campground in Key Largo.  The FFWC asked the Marine Animal Rescue Society (MARS) for assistance with a rescue. Five members of MARS (a stranding coordinator and 4 volunteers) met up with 3 FFWC manatee rescuers with their boat at Calusa campground. We went and put the boat in the water and went out in the entrance to the bay to receive a quick run down on deploying the capture net and bringing the manatee onboard. While we were doing that, residents located the manatee in a side canal. We went in and used a kayak and a Sea Doo to herd the manatee out to the bay since the boat can't maneuver well in canals. Once it was out in the bay, we dropped the weighted end of the net, and the boat took off and circled the manatee so as to deploy the net around the animal. The net was a 20-foot high net with weights at one end and buoys at the other end. Once circled, the net is closed off and reeled in. Putting the manatee in the boat is fairly easy but requires strength.  The stern of the boat is level with the water so it's just a matter of pulling it in. We went back to the ramp, off-loaded the manatee, kept him wet, and gave him water to keep him hydrated. From what I was told, it would be driven, in a U-Haul, to SeaWorld in Orlando. The injury was extremely serious -- It was hit by a boat's engine propeller inflicting it with a cut that appeared to be approximately 5 inches deep about 24 inches long. The wound was clearly infected, as you could smell a rotting odor."

 MARS is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of marine animals through, rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education. MARS was founded in 1996 and holds a Letter of Agreement from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine mammals stranded in South Florida.  MARS Board and Staff are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to a marine mammal in distress.  As a volunteer-based organization, MARS relies on trained volunteers to help conduct rescue, transport and rehabilitation operations.  MARS holds free monthly trainings for the South Florida community for those interested in aiding MARS with these responsibilities.

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