Help Researchers Find Manatees For further information, contact: Elizabeth A. Walker Wildlife Trust Phone: (407) 803-3991 E-mail: walker@wildlifetrust.org

The manatee above is wearing a tracking belt. If you spot a manatee wearing this device, please call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), #FWC or *FWC on your cell phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. (Photo courtesy of Wildlife Trust).

Note to Editors: The above photo is available on request to Janice Nearing, Save the Manatee Club, at 407-539-0990 or jnearing@savethemanatee.org.

For Immediate Release: April 26, 2007

Researchers studying manatees in the state of Florida are asking for the public’s help in locating four rehabilitated manatees that have been tagged and released in southwest and southeast Florida. Anyone who sees a manatee with a belt, located just above their tail, is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922),  #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. 

Marco and Whitaker: Released in Southwest Florida
Marco is an orphaned manatee that was rescued after suffering a shark bite in May 2004 near Marco Island in Collier County. He was released in Warm Mineral Springs in February 2007 with two other manatees. He was last seen in the spring but is suspected to be in the Charlotte Harbor area since he is a larger animal. Marco’s tail is heavily damaged from shark bites. If his tail is visible, the belt will be as well.

Whitaker was also an orphan and rescued because of cold stress in February 2006 near Whitaker Bayou in Sarasota County. She was released in Warm Mineral Springs with Marco and another manatee in February 2007. Whitaker was last seen in the Myakka River just north of the El Jobean bridge and could be anywhere in the area. Whitaker has a freeze brand, which is a marking with a letter and number that is sometimes visible on two places on the manatee – either on the top “shoulder region” parallel to the head or near the base of the tail.

River and Sparky: Released in Southeast Florida
Sparky was an orphaned manatee rescued in March 2005 after he was found trapped in a Florida Power & Light Company intake pipe near Pt. Everglades in Broward County. He was released in Biscayne Bay at the Blackpoint Marina Manatee Sanctuary in March 2007 with one other manatee named River. Sparky was last seen in the Ocean Reef area, and he has a freeze brand, which is a marking with a letter and number that is sometimes visible on two places on the manatee – either on the top “shoulder region” parallel to the head or near the base of the tail.

River was also an orphaned manatee rescued in August 2004 at the Little River floodgate in Dade County. He was released in Biscayne Bay at the Blackpoint Marina Manatee Sanctuary in March 2007 with Sparky.  River also has a freeze brand and was last seen near the Princeton Canal entrance.

The tracking device normally consists of a belt, tether, and radio-transmitter tag. All four manatees have lost their transmitter and tether and are wearing just the belt component. (Photo by Monica Ross, Wildlife Trust.)

The Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), a cooperative effort of nonprofit, private, state and federal entities, have equipped the manatees with tracking gear to help researchers and veterinarians monitor their health and re-adaptation to the wild. The tracking device normally consists of three components: a belt, tether, and radio-transmitter tag. The belt is placed around the animal’s peduncle, the narrow area just above the tail. It is equipped to fall off after a designated time period.  The tether is attached to the belt and is designed to break free of the animal if needed, such as in the case of entanglement. Finally, the radio-transmitter tag is attached to the tether and floats just above the surface of the water line. All four manatees have lost the transmitter and tether and are just wearing the belt component of their tracking device. Without the radio-transmitter, they are much more difficult to spot, but their belts can easily be seen when they surface for air. 

Public sightings of Marco, Whitaker, River, and Sparky will provide researchers the opportunity to attach another tag and allow for future monitoring of their adaptation and health. If you see a belted manatee, please immediately:

• Call the FWC dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. 
• Give dispatchers the time, date and location where you saw the belted manatee. 
• Also let them know whether the animal was with any other animals.

The goal of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) is to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. Partnership members include the Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, The Living Seas at Epcot/Walt Disney World, Lowry Park Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, Save the Manatee Club, SeaWorld Orlando, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey- Sirenia Project, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and Wildlife Trust. For more information about the MRP and manatees currently being tracked, visit www.wildtracks.org or contact Elizabeth Walker at (407) 803-3991.

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Learn more about manatee research and manatee tracking by visiting the following web sites:

Florida Marine Research Institute

U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project

Wildtracks.org


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