12 minute read
Rescue, Rehab & Return
Rescue, Rehab and Return
A Mission to Save the Wild Things
BY LORI CHERRY
BEHIND THE SCENES of the SeaWorld Orlando theme park is a bustling, fi ve-acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating all sorts of wildlife that have been ill, injured or orphaned — including manatees, sea turtles, birds and other marine animals. Members of SeaWorld’s Rescue Team are on call 24/7/365 and partner with multiple government agencies to rescue and help animals in need of care. A part of SeaWorld that guests might not see often, the Rescue Center remains one of the most active places in the park. But what happens at the Rescue Center is only a portion of the story. What journey do the animals take before they arrive at this critical care facility in central Florida, and where do they go next?
SEA TURTLE RESCUE
Each December, as the weather turns colder on the New England coast, endangered Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles fi nd themselves trapped in the colder water, unable to migrate south in time to avoid the changing temperatures. Sea turtles are cold-blooded reptiles that depend on the temperature of their surroundings to maintain their body temperature. Normally, they can do this by moving to warmer areas of water, however when temperatures decline rapidly, they can suff er from a form of hypothermia called cold-stunning.
Since these turtles are endangered, every rescue is important to the survival of the species. SeaWorld’s partners in New England do their part to rescue the reptiles, who are then fl own to Florida and rehabbed at facilities around the state. Th ese “sea turtle fl ights” have been bringing sick turtles to SeaWorld for several years.
Upon arrival in Orlando, SeaWorld’s Rescue Team and veterinarians conduct full examinations to determine the best individualized treatment for each sea turtle. Many of the animals are suff ering from pneumonia; some are also treated for other conditions like corneal ulcers and malnutrition. After several months of individualized care consisting of antibiotics, fl uids and special diets, the turtles are cleared for return to the ocean.
For every member of the SeaWorld Rescue Team, the most special moments are the returns. If you have never participated in, or witnessed, a wildlife return, add it to your bucket list. Th e moment the healthy turtles are removed from their transport vehicles on Florida’s east coast, they seem to sense the ocean and smell the salty air. Th ey are home. Flippers fl apping and necks craning, the turtles are healthy and ready to venture on. While they may not glance back at their rescuers on the shore, the team watching is satisfi ed that their job is done as their former patients swim away.
In collaboration with government agencies and partner marine life facilities, more than 2,000 endangered sea turtles have been rescued by the SeaWorld Orlando team since 1980.
Cold temperatures and other dangers can threaten sea turtles, so SeaWorld’s Rescue Team and veterinarians work hard each winter to treat this ailing and endangered species.
MANATEES
Th e Florida manatee is at risk from both natural and man-made causes of injury and mortality. Exposure to red tide, cold stress and disease are natural problems that can aff ect manatees. Human-caused threats include boat strikes, crushing by fl ood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fi shing gear. Over the past year, as COVID-19 changed people’s recreational activities, Florida experienced an increase in new boater activity, resulting in an increased number of manatees exhibiting boat-strike injuries.
SeaWorld is a member of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, a cooperative group of nonprofi t, private state, and federal entities that work together to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. When a manatee is reported injured to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and SeaWorld’s assistance is needed, the team heads out the door, ever ready to lend a hand.
Rescuing these gentle giants is a team eff ort, and great care is taken to keep the animal from harming itself or the team members as the manatee is brought ashore, assessed and then sent to the appropriate facility for further care. SeaWorld is one of only four manatee critical care facilities in the state of Florida.
Once at the SeaWorld Rescue center, the manatees receive care and rehab based on the animal’s condition. Ill and injured manatees receive fl uids and antibiotics, and orphans are fed specialized formula developed by the SeaWorld team to mimic
Manatees face danger both human-made and natural, so SeaWorld’s Rescue Team takes great care to help these gentle giants heal and recover before release.
How Can You Help?
» When you come across a wild animal that appears to be in distress, report it to local wildlife authorities.
» Do not attempt to push a stranded animal back into the water.
» Keep people and pets away from the animal.
» Avoid touching the animal as that may cause it more stress.
a mother manatee’s milk. Th e team has also created a customized wetsuit to help injured manatees stay afl oat.
Here is a surprising fact: did you know that one of the most interesting facts about the SeaWorld Rescue Team is their honey? SeaWorld has operated a Honey Bee Conservation Program since 2014, when the Horticulture Team installed swarm-attracting buckets around SeaWorld Orlando’s park perimeter. Th e team quickly learned that there was a sweet payoff to their eff orts: the bees produce raw honey, which the park’s veterinary team now uses as a natural wound care to help heal rescued animals, including turtles and manatees.
Like the sea turtles, the manatees rehabbing at SeaWorld are just with the team for a short while. When the animals are deemed healthy and fi t for release, the manatees are returned to the warm Florida waters, near to their rescue location, so they are familiar with their surroundings. Orphans remain at SeaWorld a bit longer to gain enough weight and size to assure their best chances of thriving in the wild.
Th e connections made between the marine life rescued and the caregivers at SeaWorld last a lifetime, long past the time of rehab and return as the journey continues with each generation to carry on the cause of conservation.
About the SeaWorld Rescue Team
You may wonder who pays for all of this specialized care, which can sometimes cost tens of thousands of dollars just for a single animal’s rescue and rehabilitation. In fact, care for more than 38,000 rescued animals has run well into the millions over the 50-plus years SeaWorld has helped animals in need. A portion of all ticket sales to the park helps pay for the rescue teams, veterinarians, specialized drugs, animal care specialists and all the people dedicated to saving these sick and threatened animals. Every time guests visit the park, they are making a direct impact on the conservation and protection of Florida’s wildlife and supporting the expert animal rescue team that is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
SOLD ON WHALERS
MarineMax helps couple get the most out of their boating passion
By Steve Bornhoft
Emily and Bernhard Schmid have a Boston Whaler habit.
It began when the St. Petersburg couple bought a 10-year-old, 16foot Dauntless, a boat they would enjoy for 10 years. For Emily, the modest vessel was a reminder of the little Whaler her father had as a kid on Cape Cod.
Today, the Schmids own a 24-foot
Dauntless Pro and captain a 42-foot Outrage.
But it was as owners of the 16-foot
Anchor Lady that they became familiar with
Whaler culture.
“We were impressed by the support we got from Boston Whaler,” said Bernhard, who grew up in Austria where his boating experiences were limited to sailing and paddling on lakes and rivers. “It was very easy to call Whaler and get parts and the assistance we needed to keep things in shape. We started enjoying the brand a lot.”
The Anchor Lady became a focal point in their lives. When they moved from renting to home ownership, a chief consideration in a house was a garage large enough to house the boat.
Selling the 16 was emotional, Bernhard said. The Schmids were picky about whom they sold it to, but they had deemed themselves ready to move up to a bigger boat. They opted for a larger version of the Dauntless they had made their rookie mistakes on, one large enough to be outfitted with a comfortable half-tower.
The Schmids use the 24, named the Reel Lady, for flats fishing and joining flotillas off sandbars. Emily likes lazing in the tower, even when the boat is on plane.
“I’m up there waving like a prom queen on a magic carpet ride,” she said.
In 2017, the boat family was joined by a big sister, the 42-foot Knot Reel. The Schmids captain the larger boat for offshore bottom fishing and trolling, entertaining and cruising, often with family and friends and never
without their Jack Russell, Tater. The dog, said Emily, is tiny but tough enough to pull a tuna across a fishing deck.
“Our COVID refuge has been doing West Coast cruising and anchoring,” Bernhard said.
In purchasing all family Whalers, the Schmids dealt with sales consultant Jayson Lake at MarineMax in Clearwater.
Bernhard described Lake as an owner’s advocate.
“Jayson makes sure that if you have an issue with your boat, the service team does its job,” he said. “He is one of those sales guys who never leaves you high and dry,” added Emily, giving Lake the perfect compliment for a man in his role.
Not that Bernhard leaves much to chance. He is that rare individual, Emily said, who reads owner’s manuals from cover to cover, and he knows his boats “inside and out.” When their Outrage was being built, the Schmids stopped by the factory to check on progress. Engineers there told them that they were setting up their boat precisely as they would have.
There was a time when the Schmids learned a few lessons the hard way. In the Anchor Lady, they once ran out of gas within a few hundred feet of a marina in Marathon just as it was closing. Trailering the 16 to the Keys on another occasion, their progress was interrupted three times, twice by blown trailer tires and once by a broken bearing. Now, they carry spares.
And, on one occasion, the Schmids took advantage of MarineMax’s mobile dispatch service. Again, they were in the Keys when a steering actuator went out on their boat. A technician arrived from Clearwater at 5 in the afternoon, worked until 11 to replace the part and saved the trip.
Both of the Schmids are consultants, he in health care IT and she in organizational development, and both have a captain’s license. They hope to take a month’s sabbatical this year and cruise to Exuma in the Bahamas.
They love the Outrage.
“It does everything,” Emily said, describing in particular the boat’s summer kitchen and its freezer and refrigerated compartments. At Whaler rendezvous events, she has become known for preparing bacon and eggs with plenty to share.
“That’s how you make friends at a marina,” she said.
“When we head out,” said Bernhard, “it’s not do we have sandwiches packed, it’s do we have a charcuterie board.”
At present, the Schmids are building a house on the water in St. Pete. Their first priority for the new place? Boat slips.
“If I could have five boats at one time, I would,” Emily said.
Music, perhaps, to Jayson Lake’s ears.
Bernhard Schmid
Steve Bornhoft is the executive editor at Rowland Publishing in Tallahassee, Florida.
REEF to REFUGE
Bringing Hope to Florida’s Coral Reef
BY BETH FIRCHAU
The Florida Reef Tract has stood resilient for decades; beaten by ocean warming, acidification and water-born pollution, it has survived.
Much like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite or the Great Lakes, the Florida Reef Tract is a natural treasure that belongs to us all. The reef provides nurseries, hunting grounds and homes to thousands of species of marine life. It is a first line of defense against powerful Atlantic storms that threaten the coastline. Generating over $8 billion in revenue and over 70,000 jobs annually, it is also an important driver of economic activity in the region.
Now a new threat, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (see article in Guy Harvey Magazine issue 36), has the reef on its knees. Since 2014, this aggressive, fast-moving disease has plagued the Florida Reef Tract. As of 2020, the disease has swept through most of the 360-mile reef system, leaving only the Dry Tortugas at the most southern end relatively untouched. Reports indicate that greater than 60% of total coral cover loss has occurred in disease-affected areas. While species-specific declines differ, the most susceptible of species have seen declines of over 98%.
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease affects more than 20 of the 45 coral species that provide the foundation of the coral reef ecosystem. For these susceptible corals, it is almost always a 100% mortality event. To put in perspective, historically along the Florida Reef Tract, disease is present in about 2–3% of the coral population. With Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, more than 60% of the reef’s coral population has been affected.
