Go Mo, Go!
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Mo is sighted in the Dry Tortugas in 1998. (Photo by Jim Reid, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Sirenia Project)
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In early August, a manatee named Mo was released into the waters of Crystal River, Florida. Members of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) watched him slowly swim away, their fingers crossed.
We are all hoping that the third time is a charm for Mo.
He’s an old hand at this stuff and is the only manatee ever released into the wild three times.
Originally rescued as an orphaned calf from the Withlacoochee River (near Crystal River) in 1994, Mo was first released back into the wild in 1998 but took a wrong turn and somehow wandered offshore. In the spring of 1998, he was tracked 120 miles off the southwest coast of Florida, which is well outside normal manatee habitat. Mo was finally rescued near the Dry Tortugas with the help of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sirenia Project, SeaWorld Orlando, and Save the Manatee Club, and underwent rehabilitation at Sea World.
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Mo spends time in rehab. (Photo courtesy of
the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Sirenia Project)
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Released again near Crystal River in 2002, Mo started to lose weight. After he became emaciated and was struck by a boat, he was recaptured near Tampa Bay and brought in for rehab once more.
“After his last rescue, we realized part of his problem might be that he didn’t know what types of vegetation to eat in a new salt water environment,” said Monica Ross, a biologist with Wildlife Trust who is currently tracking Mo. After spending some rehab time at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa and a short time at Walt Disney World, EPCOT’s Living Seas, Mo was moved to the Miami Seaquarium to become familiarized with salt water vegetation.
Now that he has had some R & R, the MRP partners believe he’ll be able to make it on his own. “We are hopeful that with his new training, he now has the skills to return to the wild successfully this time,” said Ross.
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Mo is assessed and measured before being readied for release at Crystal River in August. (Photos courtesy of Monica Ross, Wildlife Trust)
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Since his release in August, Ross reports that Mo has remained in the Kings Bay area of Crystal River. He has been seen with other manatees -- mostly mother and calf pairs -- and he has also been observed feeding on fresh water vegetation and socializing when new animals come into his immediate area. In addition, he has displayed excellent boat avoidance.
The goal of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership is to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. In addition to Save the Manatee Club, partnership members include Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Lowry Park Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, SeaWorld Orlando, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey- Sirenia Project, Disney’s EPCOT: The Living Seas, and Wildlife Trust.
Save the Manatee Club recently donated a boat to Wildlife Trust to be used for MRP research. The boat is a 15-foot 1986 Seminole with a 50 hp outboard and was donated to the Club by Donald Truax of St. Petersburg. It is currently being used in the Crystal River area to monitor Mo and other manatees released through the MRP program.
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| Keep your fingers crossed for Mo. We're hoping the third time will be a charm. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Sirenia Project) |
Donate YOUR Boat!
Additional boats are very much needed for the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership’s manatee research and monitoring activities. If you have a boat in excellent condition that is equipped to handle Florida’s diverse waterways, please contact Save the Manatee Club at education@savethemanatee.org or call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped with manatee protection efforts AND you could receive a tax deduction, too!
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