Manatees in peril as toxic red tide tests Florida's resources for rescued animals

Resources to save manatee and other sea life nearing limit a year after toxic red tide bloom outbreak

At the peak of Florida's red tide crisis this summer, Jon Peterson had to dig deep into Sea World's storage warehouses to find enough portable pools to accommodate the dozens of sick manatees arriving at a rate of two or three a week.

The Orlando theme park's manager for animal rescues even found himself forking out for air fares to send some of his younger manatee patients off to zoos in Ohio to free enough space in the rehabilitation centre for the newest victims of the toxic algae phenomenon that has killed thousands of fish and marine mammals.