At Tampa zoo, students get hands-on with manatees

Weighing only a few ounces, the baby manatee stuffie was much easier for campers to wrangle than the real thing during a mock rescue at ZooTampa’s Manatee Critical Care Center in Tampa.

Clustered into tight groups of rescue teams, the children moved and assessed the baby’s health while learning about the profound challenges real manatee calves face in the wild.

For middle school student Bethany Anderson, the experience on Tuesday strengthened her goal to become a nurse or a veterinarian.

“I’ve learned the many things the manatees have to go through,” Anderson said.