For Immediate Release: November 18, 2002

Researchers studying manatees in the state of Florida are asking for the public’s help in locating a rehabilitated manatee that was tagged and released in February. The manatee, named Myriah (muh-RIE-uh), recently lost her radio tag near Everglades City. Anyone who sees a manatee with a belt located at the base of the tail area is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). The equipment used to track manatees does not affect the manatee’s movement in any way. Researchers monitor released manatees for approximately a year after release to ensure the animals are healthy, eating well and have readapted to their natural environment. Myriah is due for a check-up so veterinarians can assess her health and progress.

Myriah was rescued May 1994 as a small calf from the Palm Beach County area. She had washed up on a rocky shoreline alone and orphaned. Myriah was taken to Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation and was later transported to Walt Disney World’s The Living Seas. After almost seven years of care, she was released on February 05, 2002 at the Florida Power and Light power plant in Old Cutler Ridge, south of Coral Gables, FL. The Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), a cooperative effort of nonprofit, private, state and federal entities, equipped Myriah with tracking gear to help researchers and veterinarians monitor her health and re-adaptation to the wild. Since Myriah’s release, she has moved around quite a bit. She has used waterways from South Miami, Homestead, Key Largo, Islamorada and Flamingo. Most recently, Myriah began to travel north along the west coast of Florida, using the back country waterways in Everglades National Park.

Unfortunately, in late October, part of Myriah’s radio-transmitter tag came off , making it very difficult for researchers to find her. Based on her movement patterns, they anticipate that she will continue her northward travels, but predicting where she will go is impossible. The tracking device consists of three components: a belt, tether and radio-transmitter tag. It is believed that Myriah’s belt and tether are still attached. The belt, located around the narrow area at the base of her tail, is made of yellow-ish rubber tubing and supportive webbing. The tether was attached to the belt and is designed to break free of the animal if needed.The tether is approximately four feet long and is white.

Public sightings of Myriah will provide researchers the opportunity to retag her and allow for future monitoring of her adaptation and health. If you see any manatees with a belt, please:

• Call the FWC dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC, “#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.

• Let them know the colors noted on the belt and if you could see a tether.

  
  

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, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Lowry Park Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, Save the Manatee Club, SeaWorld of Florida, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey- Sirenia Project, WDW EPCOT: The Living Seas and Wildlife Trust. For more information about the MRP and manatees currently being tracked, visit the Web site www.wildtracks.org or contact Katherine Frisch at 727-896-8626.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos of a tagged manatee are available on request to Monica Ross at ross@wildlifetrust.org or Martha Wells at wells@wildlifetrust.org


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