Injured manatee recovering

In her medical pool at the Lowry Park Zoo, a 900-pound female manatee is a long way from home."We don't want to upset her and we don't want to make the injury any worse than it already is, so we try to stay hands off," explains Virginia Edmonds, assistant curator of Florida mammals at The Lowry Park Zoo.The propeller marks on her back are only the beginning of the problem. The manatee was hit by a boat. She likely has a punctured lung and because of that can't submerge herself. It's Edmonds job to help nurse her and, other manatees, back to health."We see some pretty devastating trauma injuries to them and it can be upsetting," Edmonds said.She's relatively still now, but Friday, the manatee gave rescuers real trouble as they tried to capture her. Once they actually got her on board, she helped knock not one, but two people over board."Once the animal was on board, I was by the tail," said Andy Garrett, a biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife.Garrett was on the boat during the rescue. He's done hundreds of these missions but says rarely are they predictable."We had a lot of experienced people out there, but even then it can still be pretty tricky," according to Garrett.Biologists say this time of year manatees are everywhere, and there's not just one place you'll find them. There are ways to avoid them, though, and prevent accidents like this from happening in the first place."Look for signals that manatees are nearby. Sometimes when they swim, they leave a little swirl of water behind them. So, know that possibly in front of that swirl of water, there's a manatee swimming," advised Garrett.Back at The Lowry Park Zoo, there are now 12 manatees they're taking care of. The latest, this large female, will have to take her recovery one day at a time."We fight the good fight with them and fight until the end. So, hopefully we can save everybody who comes through our gates," added Edmonds.