SeaWorld Orlando becomes ER for manatees stricken by red tide

The 455-pound patient was rushed to the emergency room in a stupor.

Molly Martony, a veterinarian at SeaWorld Orlando, was making her usual rounds when the call came in on Wednesday afternoon: Another manatee sick from red tide was coming in.

The animal rescue facility tucked in the behind-the-scenes part of the theme park has been bombarded with sick manatees from the toxic algae bloom that has plagued the state for months from South Florida to Tampa Bay and this week reached the Panhandle.

Wednesday’s rescue is the 15th manatee stricken by red tide during an already record-breaking year of caring for 55 sea cows — the most SeaWorld has ever had in one year, and it’s only September. The rest of the manatees were treated for injuries being run over by boats and other ailments.

Click here to read the complete article in the Orlando Sentinel.