Cape residents report sightings of manatee

An unusual tourist - one that may be 8 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds - has been visiting Cape Cod recently. A manatee, normally a denizen of waters much farther south, has been sighted in Harwich, Dennis, and Yarmouth, an official at the Cape Cod Stranding Network said yesterday.

Activists are hoping to monitor the animal and, if the water gets cooler and the animal seems in danger, will consider rescuing it, said C.T. Harry, assistant stranding coordinator for the nonprofit organization that rescues beached marine mammals. He said sightings have been reported by citizens, and his group has not confirmed them.

The animal was initially sighted in Rhode Island about a month ago. After that, it was seen in Fall River and Taunton. And more recently, it has been seen off Harwich and Dennis. It was sighted yesterday at Gray's Beach in Yarmouthport, said Harry, who had just returned from unsuccessfully looking for the animal.

Witnesses have given various estimates of the size of the animal - from 5 feet long and 700 pounds to 8 feet long and 1,000 pounds, Harry said.

"The ideal thing is for us to do nothing and let the animal go back down south on its own power," Harry said.

But he said that if the animal continues to be sighted in the next week or two as the water temperatures drop, his organization would work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on a rescue plan.

The Florida manatee typically is found in Florida and southeastern Georgia. The creatures cannot survive long in water below 68 degrees, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.