Back into the Wild
Seven Rehabilitated Manatees are Released in February
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An underwater view of one of the recently released manatees, showing the tracking device they wear. (Photo © David R. Schrichte)
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In February, as part of the efforts of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (Save the Manatee Club is a member), seven manatees got a chance to try life back in the wild again when they were released at various warm water refuges in Florida. Their names are Boynton, Coral Lee, Kennedy, Kringle, Little Nap, Myra, and Slip. It’s a second chance (or third) for the manatees, after having been rescued as orphans or treated for cold stress. And for one manatee, born in captivity, this will be a totally new experience.
The rehabilitated manatees are released in February because wild manatees are still gathered at warm water sources in Florida. Biologists hope that by releasing the manatees at these areas, they will remember the warm water source next winter and also team up with the wild manatees, which will help them get acclimated to living in the wild again.
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| Before they were released, each of the manatees were fitted with transmitters so they can be tracked by biologists. (Photo courtesy Sea to Shore Alliance) |
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See a video
and read more about Boynton's release at the WPTV web site. |
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Boynton, Kennedy, and Kringle were the first manatees to be released at the beginning of February. Boynton was released at Boynton Beach, Florida. He was rescued there in March 2009 after exhibiting signs of cold stress. Boynton was rehabilitated at Miami Seaquarium and grew nearly two feet while he was there. He weighed 600 pounds at his release.
Kennedy was rescued near Titusville, Florida in 2008 after suffering from cold stress. He weighed only 309 pounds at the time. He was treated at SeaWorld Orlando and released in January 2009, but by the next month, he was rescued again for cold stress. It was back to SeaWorld for Kennedy. When he was released this year, Kennedy weighed 825 pounds and was over 8 feet long. We hope the third time is a charm for Kennedy.
Kringle was also rescued for cold stress near Titusville in December 2008. He had a watercraft injury and was missing his right flipper, probably from entanglement, but both injuries had healed at the time of his rescue. Kringle was transported to SeaWorld and was later moved to The Seas at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Kringle spent 14 months at The Seas and weighed more than 800 pounds when he was released. Both Kennedy and Kringle were released in Brevard County, where Titusville is located.
In mid-February, Coral Lee, Little Nap, and Myra were released on Florida’s west coast at Crystal River. Two other manatees were also re-released for a second time after being rescued during their first year of monitoring. Baby Coral was rescued in January 2010 for cold stress and C.C. was rescued in April 2009 for dehydration and malnutrition.
Coral Lee was rescued as an orphan in 2007 near Cape Coral, Florida. She weighed only 75 pounds at the time. She then received treatment at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa and spent time at Parker Aquarium in Bradenton. What a difference a couple of years make! In November 2009, Coral Lee weighed almost 800 pounds.
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| Myra is prepared for release. (Photo courtesy Sea to Shore Alliance) |
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See a video
and read more about Baby Coral's release at the MyFox Tampa Bay web site. |
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Little Nap was also orphaned and suffering from cold stress when he was rescued near Naples, Florida in 2008. He was only 4 feet long and weighed 174 pounds. Little Nap spent time at both the Lowry Park Zoo and Parker Aquarium where he received good care. In November 2009, he weighed a healthy 955 pounds.
Myra, another orphaned manatee, was rescued from the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2007. She was tiny – just 51 pounds and four feet long. Transported to Lowry Park Zoo for rehabilitation, Myra weighed 725 pounds at her release.
The last candidate, Slip, was born in captivity in 1991 at SeaWorld Orlando. Slip has lived at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio and also at the Lowry Park Zoo. He weighed a whopping 1,440 pounds upon release in mid February at Blue Spring State Park. He has since been observed in March, socializing with seven other manatees at Blue Spring.
All seven manatees will wear tracking devices and are being monitored by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership, a cooperative group of nonprofit, private, state, and federal entities helping to track the progress of rehabilitated manatees released into the wild. Melody Fischer, a manatee biologist and tracker with the Sea to Shore Alliance, visually checks on the manatees and follows their progress via satellite tracking. Melody will be posting periodic field notes on the manatees she is tracking.
“With over 50 manatees rescued so far this year, it’s great that these manatees were healthy enough to be released in February,” says Patrick Rose, an aquatic biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “In my more than 30 years of working with manatees, I have never seen such tragic mortality and debilitation related to cold weather or any other event. I want to commend the MRP partners for all they have done and especially emphasize our gratitude for the tremendous continuing efforts that will be required to care for such a great number of manatees needing critical care at the same time.”
Get Updates on the Manatees:
You can track the progress of Boynton, Coral Lee, Kennedy, Kringle, Little Nap, Myra, Slip, and Baby Coral and C.C., too. Go online and read Melody’s Fischer’s research notes at www.wildtracks.org.
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The manatee Coral Lee, prior to her release at Crystal River National Wildife Refuge. Coral Lee weighed only 75 pounds when she was rescued as an orphan in 2007 near Cape Coral, Florida. In November 2009, she weighed almost 800 pounds. Pictured with Coral Lee are (l-r) Monica Ross and Melody Fischer, biologists with Sea to Shore Alliance, with volunteer Stacy Dunn (at back) holding the transmitter. (Photo courtesy Sea to Shore Alliance)
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| About the MRP: The goal of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) is to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. Partnership members include Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Walt Disney World, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Lowry Park Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, Save the Manatee Club, Sea to Shore Alliance, SeaWorld Orlando, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey-Sirenia Project, and Wildlife Trust. |
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