Pregnant Manatee Rescued off Cape Cod

FALMOUTH, MA — A pregnant, lonely, and exhausted manatee rescued in Falmouth this week is on the mend, enjoying an "endless supply of lettuce," wildlife officials said.

That 1,100-pound female manatee summered on the Cape, thrilling boaters and beachgoers who spotted her. Manatees' main habitat is Florida — nearly 1,400 miles south of Cape Cod — and they rarely travel so far north.

The rescue happened Thursday near Washburn Island. The timing of the rescue was key. Manatees often cannot survive in the water temperatures dips below 68 degrees. On Thursday, the water temperature in Falmouth was exactly 68 degrees.

Wildlife officials had been looking for the manatee for the last few weeks, concerned she wouldn't survive the return trip to Florida on its own.

The manatee was transported to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut for rehabilitation before eventually making her way back home to Florida.

"We finally were able to rescue this wayward manatee from the cold water and provide it the care that it needs," said Katie Moore, program director for the International Fund For Animal Welfare, in a statement.

Moore thanked onlookers and local and federal officials for working together on the rescue.

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• Another Manatee Sighting Off Cape Cod

Photo: Rescuers secure a manatee in Falmouth on Sept. 22, 2016. (Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare)