For further information, contact:
Monica Ross
Phone: (407) 739-9260
E-mail: ross@wildlifetrust.org

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2004

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 this past February. The manatee, named New Bay, lost her radio tag and belt in Tampa Bay only a couple days after her release and was recently sighted again. Anyone who sees a manatee with the markings “W 8” located on its back between the flippers or near the tail is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). 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. New Bay is overdue for her veterinary check-up to assess her health and progress.

New Bay was rescued in December 2002 as a large calf from the Tampa Bay area. She was found suffering from cold stress caused from long periods of exposure to cold water (below 68°F). New Bay was taken to Lowry Park Zoo for rehabilitation treatment and care. After more than a year’s worth of care, she was released on February 26, 2004, into a warm water source in Apollo Beach. The Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), a cooperative effort of nonprofit, private, state and federal entities, equipped New Bay with tracking gear to help researchers and veterinarians monitor her health and re-adaptation to the wild. Right after New Bay’s release, she was observed socializing with many other manatees and receiving lots of attention from her new male manatee friends.

Unfortunately, within a few days after her release, New Bay lost all her tracking equipment, which was recovered by a citizen under a dock. The equipment is designed to fall off at a designated time or break free if the animal becomes entangled in any object that might inhibit its movement. As designed, the equipment broke off, but now New Bay is not equipped with any tracking equipment for researchers to relocate her. Just before she was released, New Bay received the markings “W 8,” which help researchers identify her. These markings are located in two places along her back: between the shoulder blades and just above the tail. Based on the minimal amount of time New Bay was tagged, researchers were not able to predict an area where they might be able to find her again. On June 1st, a manatee with “W 8” markings visible on the back was seen in Hernando County near Pine Island. With this new location information, researchers are asking people in the area to be on the lookout for New Bay and to call immediately with a sighting.

Public sightings of New Bay will provide researchers the opportunity to retag her and allow for future monitoring of her adaptation and health. If you see a manatee with the markings “W 8” or a tagged manatee, please:

• Call the FWC dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), “#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 manatee.
  
  

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, Disney’s 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 Martha Wells at 941-374-0462.

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