Dead Manatee Washes Up In Orange Beach

A property owner living on Wolf Bay near Harrison Park in Orange Beach found a dead manatee floating near a fishing pier. The man called city officials who then contacted marine biologists with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to investigate and determine the cause of death.

Marine scientists believe the manatee died from "cold stress syndrome," a condition in which manatees can get sick and die from long-term exposure to cold water temperatures. Earlier this month, when our region was hit with an unusual and extended arctic blast, coastal water temperatures plummeted. Biologists say the deep freeze has killed at least three manatees this winter.

"It's not uncommon for animals that stay in our area just a little bit too long because either in the past, they know that they can, or because of milder winters," says Ruth Carmichael, a marine scientist with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. "Probably what happened here is these guys were in the process of making their migration back to South Florida and got a little too cold before they could get out and experienced cold stress."

Biologists are bracing for more distress calls. They tell us they could be busy responding to more dead manatee calls until March, when water temperatures finally rebound.