For Immediate Release: December 15, 2009

Ilya prior to his release. (Photo courtesy of Miami Seaquarium.

Today, December 15th, after one and a half months of rehabilitation and lots of t.l.c. at Miami Seaquarium, Ilya the wayward manatee was released back into the familiar waters of his home state.  Ilya’s October rescue from a warm-water outflow at the ConocoPhillips Bayway Refinery in Linden, New Jersey was expertly coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ilya was first transported to a heated indoor pool at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey where his health was assessed by a veterinarian to determine if he was fit for transport back to Florida.  He was found to be in surprisingly good health, suffering from only a mild case of cold stress syndrome, and was flown back to the Sunshine State on October 29th, aboard a Coast Guard C-130 cargo aircraft.  Once Ilya was back in Florida, he was transported to Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation.

Patrick Rose, Save the Manatee Club’s Executive Director said, “There are many individuals, groups, and agencies responsible for Ilya’s amazing success story.  These include all the caring individuals who pitched in from groups such as the New Jersey Marine Mammal Stranding Center; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Point Pleasant Dive and Rescue Team; the Refinery; the Coast Guard; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release Program; and Miami Seaquarium.”

“We’re all rooting for Ilya,” said Robert Rose, Curator at Miami Seaquarium.  “We really hope he decides to stick around home and not get the traveling urge again.”

Each year, many manatees are injured or killed by human activities, including boat strikes.  Through December 4th, 91 manatees had been killed by watercraft in Florida during 2009 – a total that is approaching the record number of 95 annual watercraft mortalities set in 2002.  Ilya himself, early in his life, suffered from boat strikes that mutilated his tail and left him with a scar on his head.  Manatee critical care facilities, including Miami Seaquarium, are vital to the recovery of the entire endangered manatee population, because each individual is important to the long-term survival of the species.  Safeguarding the welfare of individual manatees includes the rescue and rehabilitation of wayward manatees who find themselves too far from home when the waters start to cool.  Manatees need water above 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive.  Although most of the manatees who wander north make it back safely on their own, others would die from cold stress without rescue efforts.

“The rescue and release of Ilya illustrates the commitment and dedication of so many agencies and individuals to the survival of manatees,” said Dr. James Powell, Executive Director of Sea2Shore Alliance.  “There is a tremendous effort called the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), whose  job is to monitor rescued manatees once they are returned to the wild.”

As a supporting member of the MRP, Save the Manatee Club added Ilya to its Adopt-A-Manatee ® program.  All proceeds from adoptions of Ilya will go toward the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered manatees.  To adopt Ilya go online at www.savethemanatee.org/adoptees, or call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). 

To learn more about manatees, visit Save the Manatee Club’s website at www.savethemanatee.org.  To learn more about the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of Miami Seaquarium, visit www.miamiseaquarium.com.

Ilya is released back into the wild. (Photo courtesy of Miami Seaquarium.

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About Save the Manatee Club:
Save the Manatee Club works to safeguard the welfare of individual manatees, to protect the manatee population from growing human-related threats, and to protect enough habitat to support a healthy and viable manatee population.  Over the years, the Club has also assisted manatee rescue efforts by providing transportation, donating rescue boats, tracking and other equipment, and providing funding.  In addition, the Club advocates for full funding in the state’s annual budget for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Manatee Critical Care Program. 

The Club was established in 1981 by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor, Bob Graham, to protect manatees and their aquatic habitat for future generations.  Today, it is the world’s leading manatee conservation organization.  The Club is a membership-based, national nonprofit organization that promotes public awareness and education; sponsors regional and international scientific research and rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; and advocates for the conservation of manatees and their essential habitat based on the best available scientific data.

About Miami Seaquarium:
Miami Seaquarium is one of the leaders in manatee rescue, rehabilitation and release.  It is one of only three facilities in Florida permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rescue and treat injured manatees.  Seaquarium is proud to be a part of the ongoing movement toward marine conservation.  Miami Seaquarium is an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, an international organization committed to the care and conservation of marine mammals.  Accreditation by the Alliance means this facility meets or exceeds all the standards of excellence for marine mammal care, husbandry, conservation and education. 

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