CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – Emergency efforts to save a baby manatee in Cuba with assistance by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and the Acuario of Baconao with other partners were too late to save the calf.

Dr. Anmari Alvarez-Alemán, the institute’s Caribbean research and conservation director, traveled to Santiago on Saturday to provide emergency care to the manatee.

Two fishermen found the orphaned female calf in critical condition in Marea del Portillo Bay on March 7, after what experts believe to be a harpoon strike. The fishermen, Julio and Victor, rallied their community to gather cow milk and other supplies to sustain the calf until the Aquarium of Santiago de Cuba retrieved her.

The manatee was named “Julia Victoria” after her rescuers.

The emergency efforts by partners in both Puerto Rico and Florida weren’t enough to save the calf. Manatee calves are difficult to save, according to the aquarium, due to their fragility.

Julia Victoria was found malnourished with what appeared to be a head wound from a harpoon.

“It looks like a sharp object was used to hit her in the head. And unfortunately, this type of situation is common in the Caribbean for [the species.] Poaching and illegal hunting is still happening in some areas,” Dr. Alvarez-Alemán previously told 8 On Your Side, prior to her trip to Cuba.

The aquarium and its research institute will continue their partnership with Cuban scientists and national Marine Protected Areas to learn more lessons for manatee rehabilitation.

“Julia Victoria is yet another heartbreaking example of the consequences of human actions. This tragedy reinforces the importance of the Clearwater Marine Research Institute’s global network of partners who remain steadfast in our conservation research,” said Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, President of Clearwater Marine Aquarium. “We must protect manatees and their habitats, and instill environmental awareness globally, in order to coexist.”

The aquarium said Dr. Alvarez-Alemán surveyed the area where the baby manatee was found and met with community members.

This week, the aquarium releases its three-phase manatee survival plan to expand life-saving and critical care efforts.