Cold Stress Caused Death of Dennis the Manatee
Rescued Manatee Died from Complications of Cape Cod's Cold Waters
Oct 15, 2008
A preliminary necropsy report released on October 14, 2008, cited "cold stress" as the suspected cause of death for Dennis the wayward manatee, who was discovered hundreds of miles away from home in Cape Cod's Sesuit Harbor, just off the shores of Dennis, Massachusetts.
According to Charles Underwood, public information officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's manatee rescue division, the manatee had suffered kidney failure and a severe loss of fatty reserves as a result of his prolonged exposure to the cold water. This weakened the manatee's organs, which ultimately failed during the 20-plus hour truck ride from Cape Cod to SeaWorld Orlando.
Dennis the Manatee's Rescue from Cape Cod Waters
Dennis the manatee was spotted several days before his rescue from Cape Cod's 64-degree waters on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Hundreds of Bostonians were drawn to the docks of Dennis to see the unusual visitor - manatees essentially never venture north of the Carolinas, and the vast majority of the population lives alongside Florida's coast.
Staff from SeaWorld Orlando's Rescue and Rehabilitation Center had made their way to Massachusetts to rescue the 800-pound juvenile male manatee, in cooperation with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The manatee's rescuers examined Dennis in the minutes after he was pulled out of the water, and at this time, it was discovered that the young manatee's body temperature had dropped from the normal 97 degrees to just 73 degrees. Measures were immediately implemented to begin warming the young marine mammal, and the warming process continued during the transport from Cape Cod to Florida. At the time of his death, his body temperature had already been raised to 89 degrees.
The Death of Dennis the Manatee
Dennis the manatee passed away within an hour or two of reaching SeaWorld Orlando.
In the days following the death of Dennis the manatee, many have asked why rescuers tried to transport the ailing manatee to Florida in the rented 18-foot moving van, rather than first moving him at a local facility to stabilize.
Underwood told the press that efforts were made to locate a closer facility, but there was simply nowhere in the northeast United States that could accommodate the rescued manatee. Rescuers even considered using an aircraft to fly Dennis to Florida, but the operation was deemed too risky for the already-stressed marine mammal.
Instead, a transport team comprised of experienced manatee rehabilitators and a veterinarian was assembled to monitor and treat Dennis the manatee during his ill-fated trip to SeaWorld Orlando.
Katie Touhey, the emergency release manager for marine mammals, strandings and entanglements with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told WBZ Newsradio 1030 in Boston: "What we do know is that the transport was actually going very well. The team from SeaWorld had given me an update that the animal was transporting quite well. His temperature was coming up and they were actually quite optimistic. But unfortunately the animal stopped breathing right about when they crossed the border into Florida. He passed away quietly."
Learning from the Death of Dennis the Manatee
The remains of Dennis the manatee were immediately sent to undergo a necropsy - an animal autopsy. Although the preliminary necropsy results were released just two days after the rescued manatee's death, the necropsy and scientific investigation remained far from complete.
The manatee's remains were scheduled to undergo the full gamut of testing to determine what, if any, underlying diseases or conditions were ailing the young manatee.
Wildlife rehabilitators who were involved in the rescue of Dennis the manatee have said publicly that they hope to learn as much as possible from this unsuccessful manatee rehabilitation attempt so that they may better help and rehabilitate sick or injured manatees and other marine mammals in the future.
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