TAMPA, Fla. — Florida's manatees might have some new allies, courtesy of Mission Tampa Bay and ZooTampa.
It's all thanks to a special group of girls who got a chance to see what it's like to rescue and care for the sea cows in a real-life rehab environment.
“I honestly think this is amazing,” Bethany Anderson, one of about 30 girls taking part in mock manatee rescue at ZooTampa, said.
“Quite awesome, actually,” she added. “The fact that I got this chance, the fact that there are girls and boys out there like me that also get this chance. I'm excited.”
The Hillsborough County middle schoolers were all participating in a Mission Tampa Bay STEM network program aimed at fostering interest in science, engineering and technology.
“If one of these participants today found a career, a future, with wildlife,” Zoo Tampa’s Arinn Bolin said. “It would mean a lot to not only all of us supporting them today in this program, but also the zoo the animals and wildlife in general. And we have a strong future to look forward to.”
“I am definitely inspired. I've always loved biology,” Bethany said. “That's just the science that I like. And this is just making me even more into it.”
The girls, all in the fifth through ninth grade, got a crash course in finding, treating and ultimately releasing their portly patients.
They were then taken for an up-close behind-the-scenes look at how it’s done in real life.
“I think it's a really good experience for kids to know what goes on, especially at zoos,” Jaeda Sinclair, one of the girls participating, said. “So, they can learn more about what some of the actions that they do that really do affect them. And how they can help.”
Inside the zoo's manatee critical care center, the girls got a rare look at the hard work and dedication it takes to protect and rehabilitate Florida's beloved sea cows.
“I'm very glad that I got this experience and opportunity to be here and get all of the behind-the-scenes,” Jaeda said. “I didn't know that a lot of these animals at the zoo were like rescued animals until I was older. And it's really cool to see how they do it. And I'm very appreciative of that.”
“You get to see how they do it. You get to hear how to take care of the manatees, and even to see the changes from like the males over there to the ones here in the medical pools,” Bethany said. “It's really cool.”
ZooTampa offers all of its visitors a chance to visit Manatee Overlook, and Manatee Cove, which offer hands-on activities, underwater, viewing monitors and a chance to meet the same manatee rescue team members who focus on saving injured, sick and orphaned sea cows.
If you'd like to check in on the manatees, ZooTampa recently added a 24/7 live webcam which you can check out here.