Manatee spotted in Rhode Island saltwater pond is first known New England sighting since 2016
A “rare sighting” of a manatee in a Rhode Island saltwater pond marked the first sighting of the ocean creature since 2016, environmental officers mentioned.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) mentioned in a social media submit that the animal was spotted in the Quonochontaug Pond, a neighborhood saltwater spot that connects to the Atlantic Ocean in Charlestown.
State officers in Rhode Island are maintaining a tally of a manatee that was spotted in a pond Monday. (Rhode Island Dept of Environmental Management)
The manatee was first spotted Monday, with DEM officers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut persevering with to monitor the animal.
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The DEM mentioned manatees sometimes dwell in waters off of Florida and the Gulf Coast in the winter, however journey additional north in the summer season. Often known as sea cows for his or her affinity for seagrass and marine vegetation, manatees are extra intently associated to elephants, the DEM mentioned.
Two pleasant manatees strategy a snorkeler, who reaches out to pet them gently, in Florida’s Crystal River. (Stuart Westmorland/CORBIS/Corbis by way of Getty Images/File)
Manatees are a uncommon sighting in the cooler waters of New England, however have sometimes been seen all through the years.
The final sighting of a manatee was off Cape Cod in 2016. Prior to the 2016 sighting, individuals spotted the marine mammal in 2006.
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Manatees are protected species by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The DEM is asking boaters and swimmers to maintain at the least 150 ft away, and train warning if they arrive throughout the manatee.