TAVERNIER, Fla. (AP) — Two baby manatees have been rescued after their mother was found dead in the Florida Keys.
Dolphin Research Center Mary Stella says the manatees were rescued Sunday after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a report of the dead manatee on the bay side of Tavernier.
Wildlife officials asked the dolphin research experts to confirm the death. They found the dead manatee and realized she had been nursing twin manatee calves born in May.
The male and female calves were taken to the Miami Seaquarium for examination and rehabilitation.
Stella says the mother manatee likely died because of a boat strike. A necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
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