Above, Lil' Joe gets a health assessment at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. (Photo courtesy of FWC.)
By Courtney Edwards
Staff Biologist, Save the Manatee Club
When you hear the words “manatee” and “adventurous,” you probably don’t think they belong in the same sentence. However, that is not the case with the manatee known as Lil’ Joe. This particular manatee has not only traveled across the United States, but he also has a tendency to get himself into trouble.
On August 20th, I was contacted by a local citizen who was reporting a manatee sighting in the Little Econlockhatchee River at Jay Blanchard Park in Orlando, Florida. Given that this is a very strange location for a manatee, I passed the sighting on to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). They were already aware of the situation and asked for our help in monitoring the manatee, given that it was so close to our office. I went out several times to look for the manatee and reported my sightings and any other information back to FWC to help them determine if the manatee needed to be rescued.
Biologist Monica Ross attempts to attach a tracking device to a very thin Lil' Joe, so he can be rescued from the Little Econlockhatchee River. (Photo courtesy of FWC.)
At first, it was not clear if the manatee could leave on his own. He had traveled about 25 miles upriver off the St. Johns River, and the water levels were now lower than when he arrived. It was likely that the water levels had risen from Tropical Storm Debby that hit Florida at the end of June, but they had since receded. FWC staff determined that the manatee would not be able to leave on his own and that his health was now at risk. A rescue was planned by FWC and SeaWorld Orlando for September 13th, but this manatee had other plans. After several hours of searching and waiting on the 13th, the manatee was nowhere to be found and the rescue was delayed until another day. Several days later, the manatee was sighted again in the same location and so a second rescue was planned for September 27th, but again, this manatee decided to change things up. The day before the rescue, the manatee was sighted at a sewage treatment plant outflow about two miles from Jay Blanchard Park. The water at the plant was much clearer than at the park, allowing researchers to better assess the manatee’s condition. They could see that the manatee did indeed need help, as he was very thin and was not getting the nutrients he needed. Researchers were able to put a tracking device on the manatee in case he swam off and they needed to find him again. Shortly after, the manatee was finally successfully captured and transported to SeaWorld Orlando for further care. But his story did not end there.
When the manatee was first spotted, he was given the nickname “J.B.” for Jay Blanchard Park. He had been very elusive throughout his stay in the Little Econlockhatchee, and it was hard to see if he had any marks or scars on his body that would indicate if he was a known manatee. However, several weeks after he was sighted, researchers noticed an “R5” brand on his back, indicating he was actually a known manatee named Lil’ Joe. And this manatee had quite a past.
See a video of Lil' Joe's rescue, as well as video footage when he was first rescued as an orphaned calf. Lil' Joe even had the distinction of being fed by former President George H.W. Bush! (Video courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando.)
Lil’ Joe was first identified by researchers on July 30, 1989, near Daytona Beach, Florida. He was an orphaned calf and since he could not survive on his own, he was taken to SeaWorld Orlando. A few years later, Lil’ Joe was introduced to Slip, a manatee whose mother died shortly after giving birth to him at SeaWorld. Since the two orphans were being raised in captivity, there was concern they would not be able to survive on their own in the wild just yet. Therefore, they were transported to the SeaWorld in San Diego and then to the Cincinnati Zoo in June 2005. Lil’ Joe and Slip stayed at the zoo for four years, and they finally were transported to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa in 2009. There the pair was introduced to aquatic food found in the wild to help prepare them for release. On February 15, 2010, Slip and Lil’ Joe were released together at Blue Spring State Park on the St. Johns River. While the two eventually separated after released, their story was not over yet.
A few months after his release, Lil’ Joe was rescued in the St. Johns River due to cold stress. After his rehabilitation, he was fitted with a tracking device and was re-released. However, he lost his tracking device last winter and was not seen again. Researchers feared the worst, until just a few months ago when he, once again, was in need of rescuing. After being rescued for the third time in his life, Lil’ Joe was taken to SeaWorld Orlando, where he ran into an old friend: Slip! Slip had been rescued in January of this year, also having been affected by cold stress in the St. Johns River, and he was being rehabilitated at SeaWorld. Caretakers will now work to get Lil’ Joe back up to a healthy manatee weight. In the meantime, Lil’ Joe and Slip are once again reunited!
Watch A Video:Click here or on the photo above to see a video and read more about Lil' Joe and Slip in the Orlando Sentinel.
